Home Office Reduces Pub Open Hours To Curb Binge Drinking

London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Britain’s Home Office plans to reduce the hours of pubs and clubs in an attempt to curb the country’s binge drinking problem. Home Secretary Theresa May will publish a consultation paper next week on proposed measures to address the problem.

Among the proposals in the paper would be to grant local councils the power to initiate action in areas which has high levels of alcohol-related crimes and disorder. The council could prohibit a pub or shop from selling alcohol below cost price and could impose a late-night tax on drinking establishment to pay for extra cost of policing the vicinity.

The councils and police could also permanently close shops and bars that are proven to have repeatedly served children alcoholic drinks and could double the penalty for serving alcoholic drinks to minors. They could likewise ban drinking after midnight in certain streets or towns.

The Home Office is now fully responsible for alcohol licensing and enforcement after the powers were removed from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Association of Chief Police Officers and the Police Federation disclosed that of the one million violent crimes committed yearly, about 50 percent is alcohol-influenced.

In at least one recent case, binge drinking has caused a trading company millions of pounds of losses. Stephen Perkins was banned by the Financial Services Authority from working in the City for at least five years since July 2009 after he traded on June 29 and 30 last year seven million barrels of crude during a weekend binge drinking session.

Perkins’ action caused the price of Brent crude to go up. He was fined $108,000 (72,000 pounds) by the FSA. Perkins, who was employed by London-based PVM Oil Futures, has entered into a rehabilitation program for alcoholics. He is paying the $108,000 penalty in 36 monthly installments of $3,000 (2,000 pounds), and would end the payments by November 2013.

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