Licensing act was huge mistake

Letter: On September 13, 2004, Tessa Jowell and new Labour had a good idea, why not get rid of those tiresome old licensing laws that were introduced to stop workers being unfit for work during the war?

They argued that the restrictions were probably responsible for the tide of anti-social behaviour that occurred in our towns and cities every night at closing time, with drunken yobs fighting each other, urinating in doorways and messing up the streets with discarded take-away food.

The drinking laws in question allowed a person to drink from 11am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and from 12 noon to 10.30pm on a Sunday.

How quaint, thought new Labour, and ripped up the old restrictions and allowed flexible drinking hours controlled by councils.

That was six years ago - note the vast improvements, under the old system the fighting, urinating and general mayhem would have been over by between 2am and 3am and everybody home in bed.

Not today. Today the fighting, urinating and vomiting continues apace but now the girls join in and it lasts throughout the night.

Another good idea was introduced in August 2007.

The ban on smoking in public places resulting in the front of every pub being ankle deep in fag ends and the end of the British pub as we knew it.

The police do not have the resources to deal with this endless serial drinking and its consequences and our towns centres have become no-go areas for the sober and the sensible.

Bob Wydell

Oswestry