A new report suggests that half of all UK nightclubs have shut down in the last 10 years.

The study – which was conducted by The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) – shows that there were 3,144 clubs in the UK in 2005, which has since fallen to 1,733 in 2015, a fall of almost half.

The study doesn’t go into great detail on why club are closing at an alarming rate, but suggests it’s due to a multitude of reasons from the gentrification of local areas to the increase of out-of-town festivals, and concerns about anti-social behaviour from local authorities and the Police.

Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) chairman Alan Miller reckons local authorities and the Police are to blame: “I think the biggest problem and challenge to all of the nighttime industries are the authorities’ attitudes towards them – how they’re increasingly regulated and being blamed for crime and antisocial behaviour.”

Recently, The Arches shut down in Glasgow due to a spate of drug related incidents that saw the local authority limit its opening hours, resulting in the famous club closing its doors for good.

Whatever the reasons are, the UK nightclub industry pumps hundreds of millions of pounds into cities and towns across the country, and while they might cause some problems for local residents and local authorities, their impact on local economies shouldn’t be underestimated.

DJ Mag recently launched a ‘Save our clubs’ campaign to highlight the issue, which you can read here and can support via their dedicated Facebook page.