A DINGY cellar below a Cricklade hotel could be transformed into an exclusive hang-out for the Chardonnay set.

Landlord Mark Ingle has applied for planning permission to turn the cellar of the 16th century Vale Hotel into an exclusive wine bar.

Mr Ingle, 38, who took over the High Street hotel 15 months ago with partner Cherise Hutchinson, believes the underground bar formerly used by coachmen - will fill a lucrative gap in the market.

"At the moment we are running to maximum capacity and every Friday and Saturday night we have to turn 40 to 50 people away," said Mr Ingle.

"When people come to the bar they nearly always ask for the wine list and we can serve between 50 and 60 bottles of wine a night."

Mr Ingle makes no bones about the fact that not everybody will be able to get into the bar, which will be run by Cherise.

He said: "It will be VIP only. You will only be able to get in if you are somebody and you will have to fill in an application form.

"The dress code will be very high and there will be no caps," he added.