JUST 10 pubs and clubs in Merseyside have 24-hour licences, it was revealed yesterday, as the Government insisted the predicted explosion in drunken violence never happened.
A long-awaited review of the late licensing laws introduced in 2005 found crime and alcohol consumption were down overall.
Culture Secretary Andy Burnham admitted the picture was “mixed”, with a shift in alcohol-related violence to the hours of 3am to 6am and an overall rise in disorder in some towns and cities.
But he insisted the solution was better enforcement of existing laws to crack down on troublemakers, while rejecting a rethink of so-called “round-the-clock” drinking.
A “re-balancing” of the Act will see pubs and clubs stripped of their licences if they ignore a single warning to curb violence, and the maximum fine for drinking on the streets increased from £500 to £2,500.
At the same time, Mr Burnham released figures revealing that 73 premises across Merseyside, North Cheshire and West Lancashire had 24-hour licences up to March, 2007.
Of those, 40 were hotels and a further 21 were shops and supermarkets, leaving just 10 pubs, bars and nightclubs with the right to open round the clock, 10 pubs, bars or clubs with 24 hour licences in Liverpool and two in Sefton. Unveiling the review of the Licensing Act, Mr Burnham said: “Its introduction has not led to the widespread problems some feared.
“At the same time, millions of people have been able to enjoy the convenience of shopping at a time that suits them and socialising in restaurants, bars and cafés beyond 11pm.”
Mr Burnham said the average pub and club closing time had increased by only 21 minutes. Although offences, including violent crimes, were up between 3am and 6am, it represented just 4% of night-time offences.
But the Conservatives immediately accused Gordon Brown of being “in denial about the consequences of his government’s drinking policy”.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said: “The damning evidence against the 24-hour drinking policy is overwhelming and comes from all sides - from the police, local authorities, statistics on hospital admissions and the Home Office itself.”
However, while Mr Davis pledged tougher enforcement and more powers for residents to block late licences, the Tories do not propose scrapping staggered closing times.
Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, said: “For the last couple of years, we haven’t seen the decrease in alcohol-related offences.
“We have seen an increase in the number of police officers assaulted.”
The figures do not reveal what proportion of pubs and clubs in the region are taking advantage of late licensing to stay open into the early hours.
