24 Nov 08 24 Hours

Round-the-clock drinking in England and Wales became a reality after new licensing laws came in force on this day three years ago, as part of the Licensing Act, 2003.

More than 1,000 pubs, clubs and supermarkets were granted 24-hour licenses to sell alcohol, according to government figures. This is actually quite a small percentage, when you consider there are over 65,000 pubs alone in the UK

Around 40% of premises applied to vary their licenses by either extending their opening by an hour or two or by offering late food and entertainment.

A survey by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport concluded that about 3,000 of 200,000 premises licensed under the new act have obtained 24-hour licenses, and 25% were supermarkets.

The British Beer &  Pub Association said the last orders rush at 11pm, and drinking against the clock, were widely recognized to be among the main problems in the past.

Many premises have opted only for a modest increase in opening hours, particularly between Thursday and Sunday.

About 50% pubs and bars are said to now close at midnight rather than 11pm – with some clubs and late bars shutting at 3am, instead of 2am.