CHIPPENHAM is fast becoming a trendy nightspot with revamped pubs, clubs and bistros set to rival those of nearby Bath and Swindon.

Landlords are now more than willing to invest in Chippenham as a safe investment for a successful nightspot venture.

This month alone the Little George pub has reopened with a new look and new management, the Riverside Bar is undergoing an £80,000 facelift, plans have been announced to revamp the Waverley Caf into an all-day bistro, and nightclub Rush has reopened as Mad Jack's, with new managers and a more modern atmosphere.

Little George landlord, Tony Forsyth, who took over The Bear with his wife, Edwina, in June, has just reopened the pub in New Road and it is already proving popular.

They took over The Bear, which lay derelict and hidden behind scaffolding for six months a year ago, and now the pub in the Market Place is doing better than they expected.

Mr Forsyth said: "We've spent a lot of money on the Little George, decorating, buying artwork, and taking the floors back to their original wood. It's much brighter up there now and a much nicer place to be.

"It's attracting a lot of people from that end of town, but many of our regulars from The Bear have been up there to see what we've done as well, so I'm going between the two pubs and seeing the same people in both."

The Bear, owned by the Scottish and Newcastle Brewery, will also be undergoing further refurbishment next month, which will give it a longer bar, a first-floor restaurant and conference room, and five hotel bedrooms, including one suite with a four-poster bed and Jacuzzi.

"In less than a year The Bear has been more successful than we could ever have dreamt," said Mr Forsyth.

"Chippenham is turning into a really up and coming place to spend your evening."

Across the road, the former Waverly Caf is undergoing extensive refurbishment and is due to open as Hardy's Restaurant, an all-day bistro next month.

The new owners of the Riverside Bar are planning an £80,000 facelift to transform it into a place-to-be-seen on the town's nightlife scene.

Former Chippenham Town vice-chairman Les Weir, 51, and Pete Jones, landlord of The Brewery Arms, in Langley Burrell, have bought the bar, and plan to reopen it in two months under a new name.

"It's going to be a coffee bar during the day, where people can also have snacks, and in the evening it will be a trendy wine bar," said Mr Weir.

He resigned from his position at the football club last month to concentrate on his new business venture.

He said: "We want to make it something totally different and something totally trendy with a nice atmosphere."

Just up the road from the Riverside, the nightclub Mad Jack's, previously Rush, is attracting more and more customers since it reopened under new managers David Broome and John Jefferies, who also own Swindon's topless bar Foxies.

jbishop@newswilts.co.uk