Camra targets binge ghettos'

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has attacked huge vertical drinking warehouses for turning town centres into "late-night ghettos of binge drinking".

The new Pubs for All campaign, launched last week, seeks to promote pubs that are responsibly managed, attract people of all ages and play an active role in the community in a bid to reduce the 56,000 violent incidents linked to licensed premises reported every month.

"We believe more traditional, multi-room pubs make town centres accessible to more people," said public affairs manager Jonathon Mailing. "The mixed age of customers is likely to discourage any rowdy or excessive behaviour."

Camra's Pubs for All charter sets out five factors that play a role in minimising the potential for disorder, public nuisance and binge drinking. It believes that pubs at the heart of the community discourage disorder because they are "self policing".

The charter says: "The strength of social bonds in such pubs mean they are self policing in terms of nuisance and disorder and act to encourage a sensible approach to drinking."

The campaign also calls for a greater range of drinks to be stocked in pubs, including real ale, real cider, perry and fine wines, which "encourage a quality not quantity approach to drinking that celebrates diversity and discernment rather than a binge drinking mentality".

However, Camra is not supportive of saturation policies to stop new premises. It wants councils to be able to consider applications from smaller pubs rather than larger premises.