BBPA chief in dispute with Archbishop of Canterbury

British Beer & Pub Association chief executive Rob Hayward has written to the Archbishop of Canterbury after he claimed '24-hour drinking' had made the streets less safe.

The Archbishop Rowan Williams attacked the "culture of alcohol abuse" in a speech last week but Rob Hayward has hit back.

In his letter he said: "I welcome the opportunity to respond to your question as to why anyone would think it a success by highlighting a raft of recently released research that explodes many of the myths and misconceptions that have built up around the Licensing Act."

In his letter he pointed to recent research by academics that indicates 24-hour drinking has not led to increases in alcohol-related crime. He also pointed to Parliamentary research that states 60 per cent of pubs, bars and restaurants stop serving drink at 11pm.

Hayward said: "The term '24-hour drinking' should be consigned to the dustbin. It started as an invention and it remains a myth.

"It's a term that totally misrepresents the reality of change in our licensing laws. The true picture is a modest extension in hours which provides a little more choice to adults on a night out.

"The fact is , 20 minutes extra drinking is the accurate headline, not 24-hour drinking."