24-Hour Drinking Laws have failed to curb the problem.
Britain’s switch to 24-hour drinking laws has failed to match ambitious hopes that the policy could transform the country’s rowdy pubs into sophisticated, European-style bars, ministers acknowledged Tuesday.
It had been hoped that the laws, effective in 2005, would help overhaul Britain’s dangerous relationship with alcohol, curb violence and foster a more relaxed approach to drinking that many believe is the rule in the country’s European neighbors.
By allowing pubs, restaurants and bars to stay open later, ministers hoped to end a nightly scramble to down drinks before premises stopped serving alcohol at 11 p.m.
But Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said Tuesday that a review of the policy has found it has instead led to some increases in alcohol-fueled violence in major towns and cities.
“Alcohol-related violence has increased in the early hours of the morning and some communities have seen a rise in disorder,” Burnham said in a written statement to lawmakers.
Though Burnham said there are no plans to scrap the laws, he has ordered new studies of drinking patterns after midnight and confirmed he may propose changes to the policy.
In a report last month, the British Medical Association said Britain is among the hardest-drinking countries in Europe. The country’s alcohol-related death rate nearly doubled between 1991 and 2005 _ from 6.9 to 12.9 per 100,000 people.