A NEW nightclub is opening its doors in Carlisle later this month.

The Bomb Shelter will open on Botchergate in premises formerly occupied by clubs including Mood, Mint and Players.

Cameron Martin, 28, and his girlfriend Laura Devaney, 21, are behind the plans for the new club, which will open on August 25 employing about 20 staff.

Mr Martin already runs The Lounge Bar next door and says the unit is perfect for his plans.

He said: “We opened The Lounge Bar when Los Locos closed down.

“We wanted a bigger, more eventful venue. We looked at a lot of places but this one seems perfect for our plans.”

The name - The Bomb Shelter - comes from the type of drink - bombs.

A bomb shot is made by dropping a shot glass filled with a spirit or liqueur into a tumbler glass partially filled with a chaser drink like an energy drink or beer. This is then consumed quickly and the two components mix. The cocktail is popular with students.

Mr Martin said: “Our biggest promotion is going to be on bombs.”

“We’ll have six door staff and then the rest will be bar staff, glass collectors and cleaners. We’ve been using a lot of local contractors to do work inside the building such as electrics and gas.”

The club, which was most recently known as Players, shut last year. It had a focus on showing live sports.

Mr Martin said: “Structurally the building is fine but it needs a lot of cosmetic work.

“It’s been empty for about a year so there’s a lot of dust and spiders webs. It needs a good clean and some decorating.”

House and EDM music will be played in the club.

“One of the reasons we are doing this is because Concrete, Phoenix and Bambu nightclubs have closed. We think there is a gap in the market for something like this,” said Mr Martin.

“I’ve been going out in Carlisle since 2009 and I have noticed a mass decline in the numbers of people going out on Botchergate. The city needs a decent nightclub.”

The Bomb Shelter will initially be based on the ground floor and then expand upstairs in the next few months.

In future, it is hoped, they will also use the space on the other side of the building that used to be occupied by Mood 2.

“We want to build up our customer base first,” said Mr Martin.

The club will be open on Tuesday nights for students only. It will have special drinks offers on a Thursday night and Friday and Saturday nights will be club nights.

It comes after plans for a new bar and restaurant and boutique suites in the former Carlisle Bed Centre on Victoria Viaduct were unveiled by Daniel White and Jack Lee of Hell Below bar and their business partner Matty Boak..