A POLICE officer at the centre of a murder investigation has called for revellers to curb "binge drinking" after a man admitted the manslaughter of a teenage clubber.

Christopher Britcliffe, 21, of John Street, Clayton-le-Moors, denied a charge of murder but admitted a charge of the manslaughter of 18-year-old Gavin Tattersall. Police said his actions were fuelled by drink.

Britcliffe's father, Ian Britcliffe, 42, of the same address, denied manslaughter but admitted actual bodily harm.

The pair appeared at Preston Crown Court yesterday.

Gavin, of Cambridge Drive, Padiham, died in May, three days after he was attacked while celebrating a friend's 18th birthday.

Police say it was the teenager's first visit to Accrington and he had only been in Churchills nightclub, Cannon Street, Accrington, for half an hour when the incident happened.

Ian Britcliffe was a doorman at the town centre nightspot at the time.

Detective Sergeant Jim Elston, of Accrington CID, said he was pleased the case was drawing to a close but warned against the perils of excessive drinking.

"It draws a line underneath the case and gives some closure now to the family. I'm satisfied that we have got an acceptance of responsibility on the part of the persons who have caused Gavin's death.

"At this time our thoughts go with the family who are coming to terms with the conclusion of the case and the pleas that have been accepted by the crown.

"The family have behaved in an extremely dignified and responsible way throughout the course of these proceedings and while they are still coming to terms with the tragic death of a young man, hopefully now they can move forward, certainly once sentence dates are out of the way.

"Alcohol was a factor in this incident. It's this culture of binge drinking and there's no doubt Christopher Britcliffe's actions were fuelled by excess alcohol.

"If anything comes of this, people should look at how they drink and exercise some degree of responsibility."

And he urged licensees and pub management companies to think twice about introducing all-in drinks tariffs, where people pay a set price to drink as much at they like for the night.

Churchills operated a £12 tariff, which included admission and a free bar, at the time of the attack.

The club has since stopped trading as a nightclub, and opens for private functions and an under-18s disco once a week.

"We simply shut down because we lost trade due to the incident," said manager Angela Calvert.

Mr Elston said: "They do it to encourage people to come to their establishment as opposed to going to any rival establishment. But the management companies that run these establishments should bear in mind that if people don't think they can drink in a safe environment or if they think they are in an environment where there is potential for violence, they are going to stop coming."

Members of Gavin's family were too distressed to talk after the hearing.