24-hour alcohol warning

The case against liberalised liquor licensing has strengthened amid concerns about Britain's 24-hour drinking laws.

As Victoria struggles with an explosion in alcohol-related violence, a report shows that Britain's softer drink laws have failed to live up to expectations.

It was hoped that the laws enacted in 2005 would help overhaul Britain's dangerous relationship with alcohol, curb violence and foster a more relaxed approach to drinking.

By allowing pubs, restaurants and bars to stay open later, MPs had hoped to end the scramble to down drinks before premises stopped serving alcohol at 11pm.

But British Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said a review of the policy had found it had led to some increases in alcohol-fuelled violence in major towns and cities.

"Alcohol-related violence has increased in the early hours of the morning, and some communities have seen a rise in disorder," Mr Burnham said.

Although Mr Burnham said there were no plans to scrap the laws, he had ordered new studies of drinking patterns after midnight and confirmed he might propose changes to the policy.

In a report last month, the British Medical Association said that Britain was among the hardest-drinking countries in Europe.

The country's alcohol-related death rate almost doubled between 1991 and 2005 -- from 6.9 to 12.9 per 100,000 people.

Although there had been a slight fall in the nation's overall alcohol consumption since 2005, researchers had not found any significant shift in Britain's drinking culture, a report for Mr Burnham's Culture Ministry said.

"Licensing regimes may be one factor in effecting change to the country's drinking culture -- and its impact on crime -- but they do not appear to be the critical one," the report said.

Britain's relaxed laws came almost a decade after Victoria chose to liberalise liquor licensing.

The explosion in licences in Melbourne has been blamed for a rise in violence and problem drinking.

The Brumby Government is under pressure to act on the issue.

British law-makers are worried about the effect on the drinking habits of their young, arguing intoxicated teens and 20-somethings were drinking heavily and longer into the night.

"It was simply unrealistic to expect to transplant one drinking culture, which has grown up according to specific tastes or climate, to another country," said Frank Soodeen, a researcher at the Alcohol Concern charity.

Mr Burnham said there had been an overall 4 per cent rise in crimes reported between 3am and 6am, likely to be a result of drink-fuelled offences.

Some hospitals also reported a rise in alcohol-related admissions, he said.

"The overall reduction in alcohol-related disorder we wanted to see across the country has not materialised consistently in all areas," Mr Burnham said in a statement.

Despite concerns, the review found that of around 125,000 venues and stores authorised to sell alcohol, only 5000 premises had won licences to serve alcohol 24 hours a day.

Herald Sun