A CAMPAIGN is growing to change licensing laws which campaigners in Dorset fear could threaten the future of folk music and live performances.

Councillors in Weymouth and Portland are being asked to lobby the Government on behalf of county-based musicians for a relaxation in the law.

As the law stands, pub landlords must have a licence for than than two people to perform live on their premises. Protesters say the law is unfair and threatens folk music in pubs and smaller venues.

Dorset musicians have campaigned to scrap the current system following a dispute over a folk club at the Cove House Inn on Portland.

Council officers told landlord Brian Flynn he must get a licence. Mr Flynn said he was simply providing a place for folk musicians to play and was not running a commercial event.

Dorset-based musician Chris Lonergan is calling for a change in the law. In a letter to the borough council he says: "The general feeling among musicians is that the law is illogical. Modern technology is such that a solo musician or DJ can create as much volume as any band."

He added: "If a venue is restricted to one or two musicians they tend to hire those who have technology at their disposal to sound like a full band.

"This equipment is expensive and out of the reach of most young musicians, resulting in less opportunity for them to learn their craft in front of an audience. This in turn will inhibit the development of the local live music scene. I believe that all parties concerned realise this is a law that needs to be changed."

In a report to councillors, licensing manager Sue Allen recommends writing to the Government to ask for a relaxation of controls on folk music performances.

She says several issues have to be considered, including that "the need for a public entertainment licence makes entertainment prohibitively expensive for the smaller public houses and venues". Councillors meet to discuss her report today.

The Government published proposals for licensing reform in April last year, but legislation was delayed and is now expected to be introduced in Parliament in October.