UK's 24-hour drinking laws fail to change drunk, rowdy culture

Britain's switch to 24-hour drinking laws has failed to live up to hopes the policy could transform the country's rowdy pubs into sophisticated, European-style bars, ministers have acknowledged.

It had been hoped the laws, effective from 2005, would help overhaul Britain's dangerous relationship with alcohol, curb violence and foster a more relaxed approach to drinking that many Britons believe is the rule in the country's European neighbours.

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

But Culture Secretary Andy Burnham says that a review of the policy has found it has instead led to some increases in alcohol-fuelled violence in major towns and cities across Britain.

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

Though there were no plans to scrap the laws, he had ordered new studies of drinking patterns after midnight and confirmed he may propose changes to the policy.

In a report last month, the British Medical Association said Britain was among the hardest-drinking countries in Europe. The country's alcohol-related death rate nearly doubled between 1991 and 2005 from 6.9 to 12.9 for every 100,000 people.

Though there has been a slight fall in overall alcohol consumption since 2005, researchers have not found any significant shift in drinking culture, a report for the 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.

Many politicians worry about the drinking habits of Britain's young, saying teens and people in their 20s now drink heavily and longer into the night, rather than sipping coffees or wine in French-style cafes.

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

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

Some hospitals had also reported a rise in alcohol-related admissions.

"The overall reduction in alcohol-related disorder we wanted to see across the country has not materialised consistently in all areas," he said. The review found that of about 125,000 venues and stores authorised to sell alcohol, only 5000 had won licences to serve alcohol 24 hours a day, giving them the ability to choose and change their opening hours.

While 470 pubs and nightclubs have 24-hour licences, officials believe Britain has just two traditional pubs that actually stay open around the clock.

Canberra Times