Rock legend Roy Wood writes exclusively for the Sunday Mercury

Apr 12 2009 by Roy Wood

THE term “binge drinking” is associated all too often with our city centres.

It’s certainly more difficult nowadays to stroll around, popping into bars and exchanging pleasantries with your mates on a Friday or Saturday night (which, after all, is what nightspot areas were designed for in the first place).

The later you stay, the more you become aware of impending trouble.

This situation, according to sensible drinkers and law-abiding citizens, is creating ‘No Go’ areas in town centres around Britain.

What was the Government actually thinking when they introduced 24-hour licensing laws here?

They originally had this ‘bright idea’ they thought would stop people leaving venues en masse at 2am and causing problems.

Now it doesn’t take rocket science to work out that it has only succeeded in delaying the inevitable, and giving the binge drinker a few more hours in which to get absolutely plastered.

This has resulted in the expense of having to use extra police resources to try to curb troublemakers piling out into the street and staggering around at 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning.

Before the 24-hour laws, they might have already gone home to bed. 

Let’s not forget, too, that the major drinks companies have prospered enormously during this time, thus enabling them to buy up the likes of old post offices, banks etc. and convert them into bars.