'It is not like it used to be': Cameo & Vinyl shuts doors

Cameo and Vinyl had been closed since early January and the owners, Cheltenham-based Epic Bars and Pubs, said they were focussing on other venues.

A spokesperson for Epic Bars and Pubs said: "Yes, we have just exited the site.

READ MORE: Andover nightclub closed as management look to focus on other locations

Charlie Montague and Bill Farrell (Image: Charles Elliman) "More for the fact that we have quite a few sites in the same zone so we thought it was best to focus on Salisbury, Basingstoke and soon Fleet.

"Even though Andover is a great town."

The closure of the only nightclub in town is bruising for a town centre that has been haemorrhaging businesses in the past few years.

It did not come as a surprise to many residents, who thought the club either was not good or said more and more would-be clientele were not coming to the Test Valley town.

Charlie Montague, 28, a Kitchen Assistant from Andover, said the club had a good atmosphere but had declined in recent years.

He said: "Not many come out now. They do come out, but it's not like it used to be - there needs to be another club to replace it.

"Even when Cameo was open, they didn't open until after 12.00am - previously you could just go in there.

"Since it's closed, not many people come out anymore these days and I save my money to go out elsewhere."

"You don't see people coming from Tidworth anymore. They still come out on Fridays and Saturdays, but it is not like it used to be."

Bill Farrell, 63, a company director from Picket Twenty, said it did not affect him but was concerned about outlets for younger people.

Mr Farrell said: "Doesn't affect me personally, but its a shame for young people and it's an outlet they should have.

"[But] If they don't support it, it's not a viable business and it doesn't survive -  that's a reality of life today."

He continued: "It looked to me like a place that needed money to be spent, to be honest."

There were also concerns that, without a late-night destination, there could be more trouble, including crime, in the town centre.

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A Bridge Street business owner said: "There's pretty much nowhere else open with a late license.

"It could cause trouble in the town, without a shadow of a doubt."

She continued: "There's nothing to come here for unless you want a coffee or a haircut. This town definitely needs something, especially after dark."