BUSINESS leaders have insisted that Southend is packed full of great restaurants and pubs, after a study ranked it as one of the worst places for a night out. 

Research from Get Licensed, a training provider for door staff, analysed the number of venues, pubs and bar per resident, the cost of a pint, and a range of safety issues.

Southend was rated fifth worst in the UK, despite ranking relatively well for the price of a pint, at just £3.78 on average.

The city was let down by a lack of bars and clubs, with just 17.41 per 100,000 residents, well below its score of 83.24 pubs per 100,000 residents.

Janet Hills, 65, who co-owns The Castle pub on Eastern Esplanade, believes Southend’s nightlife has plenty to offer, but it’s attractions largely differ from conventional clubs and bars.

She said “At the moment, during the week especially, there isn’t much night life beyond the restaurants and pubs.

“We don’t really have loads of clubs like we did in the past.”

The publican added Southend’s nightlife felt more reliant on weather than other parts of the country, with many people travelling in for the day, and staying later during the summer months.

“Once the sun shines it picks up a bit around here,” she said. 

“We have different nightlife attractions to other places, such as the casinos along the seafront.”

In the last ten years, many of Southend’s most iconic nightclubs have closed including, Dick De Vigne’s, Luxe and Chameleon.

Despite the volatile clubbing scene, The Seven Hotel manager Jonathan Peters, believes there are many reasons to enjoy a night out along the seafront.

He said: “We have a host of wonderful hotels and restaurants.

“But we need more for people to do here to accommodate for the differing types of people of who come to Southend.

“We used to have the bandstand along Westcliff Parade, Never Never Land, there is so much it could become famous for and possibly we could look to nostalgia for that.”

Earlier this year Southend Council won its ninth consecutive purple flag award for vibrant and safe nightlife from the Association of Town and City Management.