A CHARITY bingo session had to be cancelled after a licensing clampdown.

Disappointed regulars had their tickets returned to them hours before they were due to try for a full house as part of Atherton Festival week fun at the Coffee Pot cafe in Bolton Road, Atherton.

Elizabeth Eckersley, who owns the town centre cafe, has been hosting a charity bingo night in conjunction with the festival for the last six years, but this year was told on the day of the event that she could not hold it without a licence.

She said: "Someone from the council rang asking if I had a licence, saying they had had a complaint. It is the first I have heard about having to have one.

"When I asked if I could get one in time I was told it wasn't that simple and that if I went ahead the police could be called."

Mrs Eckersley spent the rest of the day explaining to the 25 pensioners, who had paid £2.50 each for tickets, that the bingo was off.

A council spokesman said: "We would always recommend people look into the legal implications if they plan to hold such events."