A HIGH Wycombe pub – once famed for being one of the toughest in Britain – is launching a drive to clean up its image.

The White Horse in West Wycombe Road holds strip shows in the bar from 12.30pm and appeared on the documentary “Britain's Toughest Pub.”

Now staff want to re-brand the pub as a live music venue with a “battle of the bands” competition.

According to music manager Simon Stracey the pub has been the scene of many fights since he started drinking there.

He said: “We used to get big bikers and rocker people in.

“Around then there was a big thing between the chavs and the rockers. They always seemed to be battling for some silly reason.

“You'd walk out the door and go down the road and you'd have chavs waiting for the rockers.”

Now, under new management, the watering hole is keen to leave its disreputable tag behind, and is hosting its first band night on Friday.

Three bands will square off, and at the end of the month winners from each week will battle each other.

The first three monthly winners will then duel it out for a £1,000 cash prize.

According to Simon, the White Horse has a history as a music venue.

He said that in the past many bands who played at Reading festival would put in an appearance at the pub.

“They've all played at the White Horse – it was a stepping stone to getting where they are,” he said.

When the competition kicks off, the strippers will be moved upstairs into what Simon calls a “gentlemen's club” room.

He said that in the long term there are plans to move the strippers upstairs all the time, so that the downstairs bar can function like a regular pub.

He said: "The last two months we've been working at it constantly and now it's starting to take control of itself."

Simon added that the pub will have a zero tolerance attitude to under-age drinking.

He said: “We've come up with a wrist band system where you can only get served if you have a particular type of wrist band with a particular code.”