'Government plans clampdown on late-night drinking'

Bars and pubs that stay open after 11pm will have to pay a "law and order" fee, following police concerns over the levels of drink-fuelled disorder. Town halls will be given the power to charge premises additional fees for late-night licences, with the amount likely to be graded on the establishment's popularity. The proposals will run alongside new powers reducing the number of outlets selling alcohol. Government officials are looking at changing the wording on licence applications so that pubs and clubs wanting to extend their hours will have to prove after-hours drinking offers a tangible "benefit" to the local community. - Observer​

Home Secretary Theresa May wants alcohol to be considered a key law-and-order issue, and is attempting to have responsibility for licensing moved to the Home Office from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Association of Chief Police Officers and the Police Federation union have pressed for a hardline stance on binge drinking. Police chiefs claim that disorder related to alcohol is one of the biggest challenges facing forces. Almost half of all violent crime victims report that their attacker was under the influence of alcohol. - Sunday Telegraph​

Children may say it with flowers on Mothering Sunday, but a pint and a pub lunch seem to be the norm for Father's Day. The pub industry has geared up for today with a marketing blitz for what is fast overtaking St George's Day as a reason to set the bar tills ringing. A spokesman for Mitchells & Butlers, Britain's largest managed pub chain, said: "Father's Day is becoming an important day for us and we are doing a lot of promotions around it." - Mail On Sunday​

"Just as tyrants like Hitler created the impression that all nationalism was racist and evil, so binge drinkers and alcohol abusers offer apparently convincing evidence that all drinking is harmful and must be curtailed. Yet there is a positive, and socially important, drinking culture in our countryside that is focused upon the rural pub. I do hope that no government will be stupid enough to damage that, and rip the heart out of our villages." - Simon Heffer, writing in the Daily Telegraph​

William Hague, believed to be the first British Foreign Secretary to own a share of a boozer, pulled a pint of Old Legover bitter and duly supped it at the opening of the George and Dragon pub in Hudswell near his North Yorkshire home. The MP for Richmond is one of the investors in a co-operative scheme to re-open the historic pub. But his remarks that Yorkshire bitter is the best on the planet brought a sharp retort from across the Pennines - as they claim to brew the nation's finest ales. Will Pammenter, 31, head brewer at Lancaster Brewery, said: "With respect, the Foreign Secretary needs to take a trip to Lancashire because we brew the best beer in Britain." - Daily Star​

England fans drowned their sorrows on Friday night by sinking 30 million pints of beer as devoted supporters emptied off-licences and packed out pubs to watch the dreary draw with Algeria. The team's insipid display left fans downbeat and a blanket of gloom shrouded the nation at full-time after a build-up that had promised so much. The only true winners were those who flogged the beer and spirits. More than five million fans had flocked to boozers with industry insiders predicting a £37m boost in trade. Off-licences and supermarkets were also victors as millions more decided to watch the match at home with friends and family and crates of drink. - The Mirror​