Late-night drinking at the Corn Exchange, Devizes, is to be restricted to 2am on a permanent basis following worries about fights.

In July, Devizes Town Council agreed to bring the time the bar closed forward by an hour from 3am after worries about late night scuffles and other anti-social behaviour.

Now the building has been issued with a permanent licence which still allows it to stay open to 3am but alcohol sales stop at 2am.

The changes follow an incident in July in which two police officers were injured in a town centre scuffle during the early hours of a Sunday morning.

In January there was a fight outside the Corn Exchange involving about 20 people minutes after the nightclub in the cellar closed its doors.

Simon Fisher, deputy town clerk, said: “We didn’t have an issue with changing the times. Once we were aware of the incidents relating to the Corn Exchange, we worked with the police to come up with a compromise that we were both happy with.”

Devizes Police inspector Matthew Armstrong said that after the January disturbance police had discussed the change in alcohol policy with the town council.

He said: “I am pleased with the way things have gone in recent months.

"New CCTV is being installed in the Corn Exchange and there have been few problems in the venue or outside."

He said the attack in The Brittox during the early hours of September 27 in which a man suffered a serious head injury could not be linked to any venue.