THE Red Lion Bar and Disco at Blackwood is the place to be during the present hot spell - it's air-conditioned.

But that's not the only good news about this popular venue. The licence governing opening times have been extended. And that means an extra hour of disco joy.

A spokesman for Ryan Woodward, the manager who is at present on holiday, said the bar and disco is open on Thursday and Friday nights from 8.30pm until midnight.

On Saturday it is open until 1am and Sunday it stays open until 11pm. The new licensing hours came into effect last weekend and Mr Woodward's spokesman said: "It's already proving very popular, as is the air-conditioning."

It's three years since Mr Woodward took over the former Red Lion which was then gutted and rebuilt.

In its place is a high-ceiling giant bar with new bottle and snack bars. The new bar and disco that emerged and its success has proved to management that there was a real need in Blackwood for such a venue. Admission on a Thursday and Sunday night is free while on Friday it costs £2 until 10pm and £4 after, and on Saturday admission costs £2 until 10pm but is £5 after that.

The management spokesman emphasised that sharp at 10.30pm the doors are locked. "You cannot get in no matter who you are," he said.