TRAINERS and baseball caps have long been frowned on by nightclubs.Now chewing gum is on the hit-list too.Clubbers at an Ipswich nightspot have found themselves bereft of their minty freshness as owners try to tackle the problem of sticky floors.

TRAINERS and baseball caps have long been frowned on by nightclubs.

Now chewing gum is on the hit-list too.

Clubbers at an Ipswich nightspot have found themselves bereft of their minty freshness as owners try to tackle the problem of sticky floors.

Management at Pals Bar and Brasserie in the Old Cattle Market have banned chewing gum after the wooden floor had to be sanded because the old one was covered in the gooey gum.

Other venues have already noticed the sticky problem and are out to rid it from the floors of Ipswich clubs for good.

Customers are now being searched for gum as they enter the premises for a night out.

All chewing gum found is confiscated and made available to the owners again when they leave.

Andy Burford, general manager, said: "There was so much chewing gum on the floor that it had become very unattractive to day-time customers visiting.

"It was virtually impossible to remove because it was welded to the floor and so we have had the floor re-sanded at an extreme expense."

Fire and Ice, in Tacket Street, is hoping to bring in similar rules within the next few weeks.

Trevor Hollinsworth, owner, said: "We have to use a freezer spray to lift it off the carpet and hire an outside contractor to clean the floors once a week. It is a huge expense to the club and as such we will be banning chewing gum from the premises.

"We carry out searches anyway so chewing gum will just be added to the list of things to be confiscated."

Kerpal Bains, operational manager for Zest nightclub, said: "We banned chewing gum about a year ago but it is more a polite request than a demand from our customers.

"We don't carry out searches but ask them to put it into a bucket from which they can take it out again at the end of the night.

"Chewing gum gets on to people's shoes and clothes and covers the floor. I think it is quite anti-social and most of our customers seem to accept the rule."

Do you think nightclubbers should be banned from chewing? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk