Government announces radical plans to tackle 'binge' drinking

The government is set to get tough on Britain's 'binge' drinking culture with a series of tough new measures, introduced by ministers today.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and Home Office Minister Hazel Blears launched a new consultation document, which includes proposals aimed at tackling the problem of 'binge' drinkers, as well as underage drinkers.

The proposals include plans to impose an immediate ban on any premise that sells alcohol to under-eighteens and to extend fixed penalty notices to include under-age teens attempting to purchase alcohol and bar staff who continue to serve people already drunk.

The plans also propose a 'Drinking Banning Order', which would bar people from pubs and bars in a specific area, if they receive more than three fixed penalty notices or alcohol and disorder related convictions.

Pubs and bars would also be forced to pay for alcohol-related crime under the new proposals with money recovered from licensed premises.

'Alcohol disorder zones' could be introduced to cover problem areas where anti-social drinking took place.

There are also to plans to increase the fee for new licenses for pubs and bars, as well as the annual fee licencees pay to serve alcohol until 11pm. Larger pubs could also end up paying up to two or three times as much for their application fee and annual charge.

Condemning the proposals, British Beer and Pub Association Director Mark Hastings said the industry was already paying £21 billion a year to the government which he said would spend only £10 billion on policing.

The Association of Chief Police Officers welcomed the proposals, but said that enforcement alone would not work and called for everyone to take responsibility, which was something that the proposals reinforced.

Commenting on the proposals, Tessa Jowell said: "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."

(KMcA/SP)