A venue has been forced to close its doors after business slumped following the introduction of the smoking ban.

Pressure Point, in Richmond Place, Brighton, is now in the process of being sold and it is unclear whether its new owner plans to reopen it as a bar or club.

Gareth Gwynne-Smith, the venue's current owner, said: "When the smoking ban was first introduced in July it was fine, but once the weather got bad we took a significant drop in trade of about 60 per cent.

"In February trade picked back up once people got used to it but we had lost about £60,000 between November and January and just couldn't continue."

Mr Gwynne-Smith will now focus on running his events production company NGP Events Ltd, which is based in Brighton.

He said other factors which contributed to the venue's closure is the price of beer and the amount of other venues in Brighton.

He said: "I put six years hard work in here and I am not going to recoup what I spent on it.

"But there are new pubs and bars opening in Brighton all the time and when that is coupled with the fact that nobody has any money at the moment, it is not good."

The venue's 30 staff are also having to look for new employment.

Pressure Point is not the only venue in the area to close this week.

Barfly, in Gloucester Place, has also shut its doors, although Mama Group Plc, which owns the venue, said the closure is temporary.

Clair Chamberlain, marketing and PR manager for the Mama Group Live Music division, said: "The venue is closing for a refit.

"There are a number of things which need to be dealt with including noise transference.

"As far as I am aware it is going to re-open, although I don't know the timings for that.

"People are working hard to transfer its shows to other venues as I speak."

Danny Horwood, co-director of Harmony in the Community, which puts on a night called Carnivalesque at Barfly on the first Friday of every month, was told on Monday evening about the closure.

He said: "They have tried to help us reprogramme our gig but have said absolutely no to any compensation.

"They have cost us more than £1,000 if not more. All of our banners, flyers and posters now have to be redone.

"The annoying thing is they came in and have taken all the gigs away from Pressure Point, which was a local independent venue which has now ended up shutting down and now they have closed."

Carnivalesque has been running for four months and between 300 and 400 people attended.

This Friday it will be at the former Pressure Point venue from 10pm until it finds a new permanent home.

Tell us your favourite memories of Pressure Point below.