A NIGHTCLUB which promised to bring the VIP experience to Swindon has shut its doors temporarily, just three months after a much-hyped opening.

Tiger Bills, which hit controversy even before its launch, was closed at the weekend, with the management planning to reopen in the festive season. General manager Dan Field said: “Tiger Bills is closing temporarily to make some changes to improve the venue after a successful opening few weeks. “Once work is completed, the venue will reopen in time for the Christmas season.”

A post on Tiger Bill’s Facebook page last Tuesday had suggested the venue in Hooper’s Place, Old Town, had intended to open on Friday with a two-for-one offer on cocktails.

No details of the closure were given on the club’s Facebook or Twitter pages as of Saturday, with clubbers asking on the sites why it had shut down.

A DJ who emailed the Adver defended the club, saying it was a “decent” nightspot which should be kept alive. But the newest addition to Swindon’s nightlife had been beset with difficulties.

Even before opening it was involved in a row with a restaurant chain which was already using the same name.

After its launch, it was threatened with legal action by Swindon Council over wooden panels around its smoking terrace, which have since been replaced with glass panels.

The following month, a clubber spent three hours in intensive care after falling eight feet from a railing in the venue.

The victim said Tiger Bills was not to blame and it had just been an accident. However, later in September, seven men were arrested following a disturbance outside the club after it reached capacity and door staff refused to allow anyone else entry.

And, last week, the Adver told how a woman had made a complaint to police, alleging she had been “swiped” into a wall by a bouncer after a friend was asked to leave.

The club said it had dealt with the incident correctly and professionally. Tiger Bills launched on August 31, promising “sharp service and only a premium range of drinks surpassed by a music experience not seen or heard for at least a decade”.

It offered a range of VIP packages including one combining a private booth, a designated waiter or waitress and cocktails, spirits and champagne for £500.