INTOXICATED clubbers face being breathalysed on their way in to night-clubs from tonight in a bid to stamp out booze-fuelled crime.

Door-staff in Brighton have been equipped with breathalysers to help them stop party-goers who are too drunk from going in and causing trouble.

The city becomes one of only three in the country to use breathalysers on doors, amid concern over violent crime, sexual assaults and people ‘pre-loading’ with booze before they go out.

Lisa Perretta, from the Brighton and Hove Business Crime Reduction Partnership, which has started the scheme, said: “The other places where this has been trialled have demonstrated a reduction in violent crime. We wanted to see this result replicated in Brighton and Hove.

“We are hoping the long-term project will deliver a reduction in alcohol-related crime.

“We see a slight spike and we want to make sure we do what we can to put a lid on it.”

From tonight, bouncers at popular nightspots Revenge, Volks and Bar Revenge will be using the breathalysers, which will turn red if people are more than twice over the drink-drive limit.

Not everyone will get tested and not everyone will be barred if the equipment turns red, but those behind the voluntary scheme hope it will help bouncers clamp down on disorder.

Ms Perretta said: “Arguments often start at the door if a bouncer says someone has had too much to drink. But if they can blow into the breathalyser, it tends to calm things down.

“One of the biggest problems door-staff face is because now there is a lot of pre-loading before people go out. Then they have one drink inside the club and it is the club that ends up getting penalised.”

Three more venues are due to start using the equipment within the next week, with 11 in total expected to do so in the near future. It is hoped the scheme will be permanent and will expand.

Jean Irving, head of licensing with Sussex Police, said she fully supported the scheme, adding: “We have been hearing from premises that people are pre-loading more and more, which makes things very difficult for them.”

Peter Reeves, a doorman at Shoosh bar, which has trialled the breathalysers, said they were helpful.

He said: “If you get someone who is too drunk but they think they are OK, it is a good way of saying,’ No you are drunk’.”