A working men's club which only allowed women to become full members four years ago is to hold a double celebration this weekend.

West Worthing Working Men's Club will mark its 75th anniversary with the completion of payments on a £160,000 mortgage loan.

The payment means the club in Elm Grove will now be owned by its 900 members.

To mark the milestone, brewery giant Carlsberg will hand over the deeds to the property on Saturday in a ceremony attended by the Mayor of Worthing, Councillor Eric Mardell.

When the club started in 1927, it was for men only. Women were only allowed on the premises in the Forties when they had to sit in a back room segregated from their husbands.

In the Fifties, women were granted honorary membership and permitted to drink in the bar.

It was only in 1998 that females became full members. Today, women serve on the committee and fill many high-ranking posts.

Lesley Woods, club secretary and treasurer, said: "Many of the men on the original committee must be turning in their graves now."

The oldest members are husband and wife Alan and Dolly Botting, while the youngest is Steven Graydon, 18.

For the past decade the club has been paying more than £1,000 a month on its mortgage but now the debt has been cleared.