A LEISURE company claims it is weeks away from a court showdown with Blackburn with Darwen Council bosses.

Sceptre Leisure, of Chorley, said it is due to name a court date for an appeal against the council's decision not to grant it a licence to transform JAM bar, in Church Street, Blackburn, into an amusement arcade.

It will be the second time the company has tried to overturn a council decision. It was eventually granted planning permission to alter the building after a council committee refused.

Last month, the company was told it would not be granted a licence by the council after police raised objections to the plans. PC Steven Finley, a police licensing officer, said a new arcade would be a burden on police resources and could lead to more disorder.

At the time, the licensing committee said it refused the application because it feared an increase in anti-social behaviour, and it said there were already too many amusement arcades in that part of Blackburn town centre.

Bosses at the nearby Cathedral objected to Sceptre's proposals at the planning stage.

Ken Turner, chief executive of Sceptre, rejected criticisms of his company's proposal and said his plan was for a members-only high-class arcade, which would be strictly controlled by well-trained staff.