Facts were wrong on BBPA's promo code'

Your comments and criticisms (leader column, Morning Advertiser, 3 February) of the BBPA's (British Beer & Pub Association) promotions code are unfortunately based on reading entirely the wrong document and as a consequence are totally unfounded.

On such a critical issue for our industry, it is vital to ensure that any debate is founded on facts. Considering the current volume of fire aimed at our sector by its critics, it is not very sensible to needlessly shoot ourselves in the foot.

Our new code emphasises firm standards for all promotional activity based on the fundamental principle that the deeper the discount and shorter the time period of the promotion the more likely a promotion is to encourage excessive drinking.

It also explicitly rules out a specific number of problem promotions, some examples being: entry fees linked to unlimited free drinks, for example, £10 on door and all your drinks are free; promotions that involve large quantities of free drinks, for example, women drink for free or free vodka between 9pm and 10pm; promotions linked to speed drinking or encourage people to "down their drinks in one", for example, finish your wine by 9pm and the next bottle is on us; and promotions that reward the purchase of large quantities of alcohol in a single session, for example, free baseball hat/T-shirt for every five pints this evening.

These standards are now not only agreed by our member companies, which own nearly two-thirds of the nation's pubs, but are being actively pursued with Government as standards for the whole sector, enforced through the licensing system.

I very much look forward to the retraction of what was unwarranted criticism.

Mark Hastings

Director of Communications

British Beer & Pub Association

Editor writes: The Morning Advertiser accepts that it was basing last week's comments on the old BBPA code, rather than the new one, and apologises for consequently unfounded criticism of the new one.

What would be nice, though, is to see the new code. We have been waiting almost a year for its appearance. Then we could judge for ourselves how firmly social responsibility standards are being embraced by our leading retailers.

Coors is committed to its Museum of Brewing'

Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, recently visited our Museum of Brewing in Burton-upon-Trent for a ceremony reaffirming Coors' commitment to the nation's brewing heritage.

This is no platitude ­ the company has invested £500,000 in visitor services over the last 18 months and to good effect: last year we were delighted to receive more than 250,000 visitors. All of which demonstrates that Britain's number-one beer attraction remains in rude health. Or as Mark Twain might have put it, rumours of our demise (the Protz column, Morning Advertiser, 20 January 2005) are greatly exaggerated.

Coors firmly shares Mr Protz's view that we need a national brewing heritage centre and that's why it has reinvigorated the one we already have in Burton, the long-acknowledged capital of Britain's brewing industry.

Hard to get to, Mr Protz? Even though we may not be in the capital, this certainly didn't bother a lot of people in 2004.

Is this another "North of Watford" syndrome statement? Burton is very close to the A50, one of the main cross-country arterial routes between the M1 & M6 motorways. It is also bisected by the A38 dual carriageway running north from the centre of Birmingham on through Derby to Chesterfield. If all that is not convenient then we have a well-serviced railway station just a short walk from the visitor centre.

In fact, the museum is close to the major population centres of Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham and Sheffield. This means around 20% of the UK's population live within a reasonable drive of the Coors Visitor Centre in the heart of England.

Lest any vestigial doubts remain, I invite Mr Protz to visit the Museum of Brewing and reassure himself that Britain's beer and brewing heritage continues to be celebrated ­ with renewed vigour ­ in Burton, its natural home.

Mike Maryon

Director

Coors Visitor Centre and Museum of Brewing

Burton-upon-Trent

Head of Steam will stick to BBPA promotion code'

Regarding your article on the British Beer & Pub Association's code of practice on drinks promotions (Morning Advertiser, 20 January, Two-for-ones banned in BBPA promo code').

I want to confirm that Head of Steam pubs will be abiding by the new code. We have never done these kind of promotions anyway (except the odd "buy X pints get one free", but it's usually been free beer to take home, not drink in).

Tony Brookes

The Head Of Steam pubco

Newcastle

Drunken yobs are just having an easy ride'

Can someone explain to me just what has gone wrong with the licensed trade?

First of all, the police are sending in young people to purchase beer, but I always thought this would come under the heading of entrapment.

Secondly, the Government now wants to make licensees pay towards the cost of trouble. As things stand now, dozens of people are taken away every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and then released the following morning without charges being bought.

I believe that anyone taken to a police station from a pub for drunken misconduct should be charged for the transport to the police station. That person should also be made to pay £20, for example, for the cell, plus any costs for damages. Throw in a few fines of £500 and the idiots would begin to sit up and take notice.

Sensible drinkers could then enjoy the cheap beer in the pubs.

I believe the brewers are partly to blame for the increase in drink-related crime. Licensees have become younger. Some of them do not look old enough to drink never mind run a pub. Because these youngsters will work for peanuts the brewers take advantage of them.

The licensee of my local is 19 years old and he has no control of the young people in his pub, but because he is willing to work 16 hours a day for £12,000, he will remain there until the pub is sold.

MA Carter

Swanland Arms

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I recently attended a familiarisation course held by my local council on its licensing policy. It faced severe questioning over the level of fees even though this wasn't anything it could control!

However, one interesting point the council made, was that if you currently have a justices licence, then basically all that happens is that it gives you "rubber stamp" approval (unless you have recently been involved with police over illegal sales etc).

If this is the case, why should we be paying the excessive costs for the application of new licences, when in fact, these are not really new but are being transferred from justices/magistrates court to councils? I can see the sense of a renewal fee towards policing costs, but this just strikes of yet another "tax" on our already excessively overtaxed industry. My salary is pitiful, because companies involved in retailing can't make a good enough profit already ­ this is going to cost huge numbers of jobs

Vernon Anstey

Booze Buster (off licence)

Longbenton

Tyne & Wear