Taxi marshals in Wolverhampton for paydays weekends

Thanks to a £95,000 funding boost, marshals will be out and about in the city centre on 40 nights of the year instead of the current eight.

Payday weekends will be covered as they usually see a spike in drunken violence and vandalism.

The Safe Haven scheme operates from the Epic Youth Café in Lichfield Street to help clubbers get home safely after a night on the tiles. As well as taxi marshals helping people into cabs, licensing officers and medical experts are also on hand.

It previously only ran over the Christmas period but will now cover 40 nights for each of the next five years thanks to the extra cash from Wolverhampton Business Improvement District.

Spokeswoman Cherry Shine said: "The BID is delighted to provide funding and support an extension of the popular Safe Haven, which the council have delivered for over seven years and we are proud to be able to support a further 32 nights a year.

"We are keen that as many people as possible enjoy a night out in Wolverhampton and that we round off a fantastic evening by getting people home safely."

It is also hoped Safe Haven will reduce pressure on New Cross Hospital's busy A&E department. And as well as bank holiday and payday weekends, big events such as the Grand Slam of Darts at the Civic will be covered by the scheme.

Councillor John Reynolds, the council's cabinet member for city economy, said: "We're delighted that this BID funding will enable the council to deliver the safe haven on many more nights throughout the year."

The move has also been welcomed by landlords across the city.

Donna Boden, chairman of the city's Pub Watch scheme and licensee of the Royal London, said: "This is fantastic news for the city centre. This will be great for customers and licensed venues alike. This initiative is a great example of the city's partners working together."

The extended scheme is set to launch on Saturday from 11pm to 4am.