A notorious city centre nightclub has been closed down.

The owners of Tito’s have surrendered their licence following a series of high-profile problems that included fights spilling out on to the street.

The club, in Ivegate, was already on a final warning. The last straw came when it failed a test-purchase operation by selling alcohol to an under-age boy.

Bosses of the nightclub, formerly called Funky’s, have now agreed to shut the premises down and have handed over their licence to West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council.

PC Su Dawson, licensing officer for Bradford South Police, said: “We’re pleased that Tito’s has now closed.

“We have experienced numerous issues while the club has been running and it was only a matter of time before it came to this. Problems with people fighting outside the club have been highlighted several times so the closure should ease this situation.”

Chief Inspector Paul Hepworth said: “We’ve tried working with the owners over previous months, but we have still had issues with the club, despite the owners being given several chances.

“We will not tolerate bad behaviour in the city. Pressure will be put on pubs and clubs to work with us and the community to prevent disorder and crime-related issues.”

Derek Greenaway, general manager and designated premises supervisor of Tito’s, said: “It didn’t help that the club was filmed 24 hours a day by a resident, so each time something happened outside our club Bradford was made to look like a no-go area.

“When it was Funky’s, it was Bradford’s biggest nightclub. I’m proud to say that Funky’s was the only club in Bradford that brought people in from other towns.

“To keep the police happy, we have agreed to shut it down. It’s put 20 people out of jobs. It’s the end of an era. I’m a Bradfordian born and bred and all I wanted to do was give the people of Bradford proper entertainment.”

Mr Greenaway said he was disappointed that the test-purchasing exercise was carried out while he was in Bradford Royal Infirmary with pneumonia.

He said: “In all the years I have been a licensee, I have had loads of test purchases and passed every one.”

A resident of Ivegate, who did not want to be named, said: “Residents have endured years of street disorder in the early hours right up until this present weekend. The worry is there is nothing to stop the club reopening with a new supervisor to the same hours and starting the cycle of misery again.”

But PC Dawson said: “Any new owners of the premises will have to submit a new application to both the police and Council. Should this happen, I will meet with them and discuss the conditions that I would require on the licence before allowing them to open.”

A Council spokesman said: “We support the police in bringing pressure to bear on Tito’s nightclub in Ivegate to surrender their licence. They have not complied with the terms of their licence and are now having to deal with the consequences. We hope that incidences of anti-social behaviour will reduce in Ivegate as a result.”