Ministry of Sound wants 24-hr licence

London nightclub the Ministry of Sound is set to be one ofthe first venues to apply for a24-hour licence.

The club already opens until 5am on Saturdays and 7am on Sundays but the licence to sell alcohol finishes at 2am. The club now wants to match the bar hours with the opening hours.

Initially the opening hours will not change but a 24-hour licence will provide flexibility if the club wishes to hold special events.

"We just think it'll provide a better option for our customers and offer them more choice," said spokeswoman Kelly Hughes. "It will give us an advantage over our competitors who we eventually expect to do the same."

The Ministry is confident the licence will be granted and that opening the bar longer will not increase incidences of drunken disorder. "There is obviously a lot of concern at the moment about binge drinking but we always monitor the situation very carefully," said Hughes.

Caspers Bar in Blackpool is the only other outlet known to be seeking its full allocation of hours at present. It plans to change its name to 24/7 if its application is successful.