Leading Article: Calling time on some absurd regulations

THERE ARE many traditions surrounding the British pub that are worth preserving - real ale, ancient pub names, rude landlords. But binge drinking is one not-so-ancient custom that we can surely now dispense with. Draconian licensing regulations were, after all, only introduced during the First World War, by a government worried about the effect of drunkenness on munitions production. Whether closing the pubs early solved the great shell shortage of 1916 is a matter for the historians. What is clear from today's perspective is that our quirky, illogical, irrational rules continue to have a damaging effect on the health of drinkers and the leisure industry alike.

There is every evidence that fixed licensing hours have failed to control alcohol abuse, and may even have contributed to it. Looked at soberly, and from first principles, few would recommend drinking to a deadline as a sensible way of consuming alcohol. But the 11pm "chucking-out time" has institutionalised binge drinking. It has turned getting drunk into a game. The police should not be expected to cope with city centres that become filled with rowdy drinkers shortly after closing time. And, when the bell goes for last orders, any busy, lively pub is transformed into an inferno of crushed beer-soaked bodies engaged in a Darwinistic struggle for the barman's attention. It is no way to enjoy a pint.

The continentals enjoy a more civilised approach. Bars remain open for as long as there is a demand for them. The "24-hour city" in Barcelona and Amsterdam is a reality. We could go further and grant licences, to whoever wants one, taking the views of local communities into account. It is time to turn our drinking from something approaching an endurance sport into the moderate hobby of a sociable nation. Cheers.