The Hindu : International : For and against more time at the pub

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 22, 2005

International

International

For and against more time at the pub

LONDON, JAN. 21. The British Government, under fire over its plans for flexible pub closing times, has suggested that the drinks industry help foot the bill to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence. The package will include a crackdown on happy hours and cheap drinks promotions ahead of a change in the licensing regime across England and Wales and a plan to allow some bars to stay open 24 hours a day. But officials said all proposals would be put out for consultation — meaning that any new laws could be years away.

The imminent end of the 11 p.m. closing time — a curfew dating back to the First World War — has sparked a bitter row. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, says flexible hours will reduce binge drinking and yobbery, ending the witching hour when bars throw their customers out onto the streets, with sometimes violent results. Many doctors and police chiefs say it will exacerbate it.

The Government is under pressure to announce a levy on drinking dens to help pay for extra policing once the new hours kick in — a move the industry fiercely opposes. ``The proliferation of licensed premises across the country has been extremely draining on police resources,'' a police officer said. — Reuters

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