PART of Weymouth town centre would be turned into 'a no-go area' if it was closed to traffic to try and curb yobbish behaviour, councillors have been warned.

Hoteliers and guesthouses in the area representing sites such as the Central Hotel said they objected to the plans.

The scheme involved banning traffic by closing Maiden Street north of Market Street and Bond Street between St Mary Street and the Esplanade every Friday and Saturday night between 8pm and 6am.

They said such a ban would cause them major problems because their visitors would be heavily inconvenienced with disabled people a particular worry and that the proposed traffic ban would just create a no-go area'.

But Inspector Pete Meteau of Weymouth Police told yesterday's Weymouth and Portland Borough Council planning and traffic committee that the whole complexion of Weymouth's night-time economy had changed.

Before 24-hour drinking people used to leave nightspots at 2am and congregate where there were fast food outlets, he said. But now the trend was towards all-night attractions offering drinking through the night and this created 'a dangerous mix' of alcohol, queues and traffic.

Inspector Meteau said: "This proposal is all about public safety and making sure people can go and enjoy themselves in Weymouth town centre without getting hurt."

But Inspector Meteau said he was prepared to accept a delayed start of 9pm for the ban to try and help them although it could not be any later because of the nature of the problem officers were trying to deal with.

Chairman Coun Peter Farrell said similar bans had been shown to work in other parts of the country and he was sure that police would be mindful of the concerns raised - particularly over disabled access - and would work with hoteliers and guesthouse owners over this.

Inspector Meteau confirmed this and promised that there would be no discrimination against disabled people trying to access their hotels.

Councillors then approved the revised ban. Inspector Meteau said after the meeting: "These measures will not create a no-go area because the whole aim is to provide a safe and secure environment by reducing anti-social behaviour."