Last Call for Pub Closing Times in Britain Nov 23, 09:41 AM EST By JILL LAWLESS - Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) -- It's last call for the early pub closing times that have governed drinking in Britain since their introduction during World War I.
The government hopes the change, which takes effect at midnight Wednesday in England and Wales, will stop the flood of drunks onto city streets just after the traditional 11 p.m. closing time. But opponents say British consumption of alcohol - the most notorious, although hardly the heaviest, in Europe - should not be encouraged.
"We already see people who have been injured because they have drunk too much," said Martin Shalley of the British Association for Emergency Medicine. "I think this is now going to occur a lot more frequently."
Britain's licensing laws - largely unchanged since they were tightened in 1915 to keep factory workers sober - have long been derided as an anachronism. They required most pubs to close at 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The new rules allow pubs, bars, shops, restaurants and clubs to apply to open any hours they like, although each license must be approved by local authorities.
Yeah as far as I know, It was just a government idea, not sure if it will have the effect they are hoping for, I know for a fact its not going to change my drinking habbits.
