'Beer sales dwindle at nightclubs'
The sharp fall in sales of draught beer, at least as far as nightclubs are concerned, is the result of a new age of elegance that shuns anything so coarse as a pint of lager. The head of Britain's biggest nightclub operator claimed yesterday that "draught is finished", arguing that clubbers were becoming just as discerning in their choice of tipple as they were in buying clothes and cars, opting for cocktails, champagne and super-premium bottled lagers - The Times
The introduction of 24-hour alcohol licenses has led to a sharp rise in 'morning-after' drink drive accidents, according to official figures. The latest statistics released by the Department for Transport show that drink-related accidents have been increasing from the early hours of morning. Comparing 1996 with 2006, the figures showed an overall drop in the number of drink drive accidents, but the figures start rising from 3 am, increasing from 240 in 1996 to 340 a decade later. Even at 10 am, the number of such accidents is 50 per cent higher than before extended licensing hours were introduced - The Daily Telegraph
Former Arctic Monkeys bassist Andy Nicholson opened his pub the Bowery in Sheffield last night - with help from Jon 'The Reverend' McClure. The pub, co-owned by Nicholson along with promoters James O'Hara and Michael Dean, welcomed its first customers by treating them to an acoustic show by McClure - NME
Grangemouth-based CMC Management, granted voluntary liquidation by Falkirk Sheriff Court, has now announced the closure of 15 pubs throughout Scotland. The company blamed the credit crunch for the closures, which will result in 100 job losses, stating the pubs in question have experienced a significant downturn in trade - The Scotsman
A pub landlord is alleged to have armed himself with at least one knife and slashed a customer around the head causing "significant injuries". The landlord of the Bowling Green Hotel in Lancaster, David Lawson, had earlier warned Jan Frederick Tyson: "If you ever come back into this pub, I'll kill you." The incident occurred after Mr Lawson's wife allegedly saw Mr Tyson damaging property in the pub garden - Lancashire Evening Post
