British pubs may pay for booze-fuelled disorder

The British government, under fire over its plans to allow pubs to stay open longer, said yesterday that bars failing to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence could face a bill for extra policing.

But Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Tessa Jowell did not suggest a compulsory levy for all pubs as had been rumoured.

Officials said "Alcohol Disorder Zones" will cover bars in areas where there is a problem of anti-social drinking.

After an eight-week warning period, if there was no improvement, those premises would have to pay for policing and other costs of dealing with any disorder.

Also included in a package of proposals, which will be put out for consultation and may not become law for some time, is a "Drinking Banning Order" for boozers who repeatedly break the law - excluding them from pubs in a certain area for a fixed period of time.

"The steps we are proposing... send out a clear message. We will not tolerate the disorder and anti-social behaviour that blights our towns and city centres," Ms Jowell said in a statement.

Critics say a new law, allowing some bars in England and Wales to stay open 24 hours a day from November, is a major part of the problem.

The imminent end of the 11 p.m. (2300 GMT) closing time - a curfew dating back to World War I - has sparked a bitter row.

Ministers say flexible hours will reduce binge drinking and yobbery, ending the witching hour when bars throw all their customers out onto the streets, with sometimes violent results.

Many doctors and police chiefs say it will exacerbate trouble on the streets, an outcry that has prompted the government's latest proposals.

Penalties for under-age drinkers, and those selling alcohol to them, will be stiffened.

Police will be able to ban premises from selling alcohol for 24 hours if they persistently sell to under-18s.

The drinks industry welcomes the extra hours but is against paying more.

"The annual cost of policing in the UK is about £10 billion and we already pay over £22 billion in tax to the government annually," said Mark Hastings, spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association.

Under the new regime, large pubs in town and city centres will have to pay almost £3,000 for their licence, to help cover policing costs, whether violence increases or not.

"It's just a tax hike on the industry rather than anything that is designed to specifically target binge drinking," Mr Hastings said.

Starting on February 7, pubs and bars in England and Wales can apply for a licence to stay open beyond 11 o'clock. Scotland already has extended drinking hours.

Flexible closing times will actually begin in November.

"Our current licensing laws are creaking under the strain. That's why we're reforming them - to make our towns and cities safe for all, not a free-for-all," Ms Jowell said.