FAMILIES will be able to party until 1am at a Greenock restaurant after its licence bid was backed by councillors.

The Tail o’ the Bank successfully asked for extended hours for a Hogmanay bash which children will be allowed to attend.

The owners said the application was prompted by customers who wanted to include their children in the celebration.

Gordon Hunter, representing the Hungry Horse chain, said: “There will be 170 tickets issued including a maximum of 40 children accompanied by adults.

“There will be a band playing pop and chart music where the pool table is and children and young persons will be in the area at the right hand side which is very much tailored towards catering or them. There will be a big screen showing children’s movies.”

He added: “The expectation is that customers will purchase food when they come in and food will be available to be ordered until 10pm.

“The business is 70 per cent food-led and it is very much a family restaurant and tickets will be offered to regular customers first.”

The request was an extension to the current regulations which allows children to be in licensed premises between the hours of 8 and 11pm while attending a function.

During the debate Councillor Robert Moran raised concerns about the entry price.

He said: “It’s £5 for a ticket for admission to the premises, this application for a late licence doesn’t stack up with other applications in the past.

“I’m not really happy about it, the ticket price doesn’t include the cost of something to eat.”

There were also concerns regarding the safety of children at the event but no objections from police or members of the public to the application.

The board eventually agreed to the application on condition that the cost of tickets were redeemable for food.