Drink laws blamed for violence rise

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Home Office data revealed there were 940,522 violent crimes, cases of disorder and criminal damage committed from 6pm to 6am in the year after 24-hour licensing, up 7,000 on the previous 12 months.

Between 3am and 6am there was a 22% leap in alcohol-fuelled crime year-on-year, although averages across the whole day showed a slight dip.

And separate figures from the British Crime Survey (BCS) showed there were 1,087,000 violent incidents in 2006-07 where the victim believed their attacker had been drinking.

The BCS also showed violent crime rose by 5% last year, although officials insisted the figure was "not statistically significant".

The number of robberies recorded by police in England and Wales also rose 3% to 101,370 - the highest level for three years.

The Home Office refused to publish figures which show how many serious violent crimes were committed in city centres and near pubs and clubs following the licensing changes.

Eighteen police forces gathered the data but a Home Office spokesman said officials had ruled it was "not statistically significant", and a table containing the data was deleted from the published version of the report.

The Home Office's decision to keep the figures secret leaves a question mark over the true impact of the Government's reforms on alcohol-related violence.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said of the figures: "The fact a separate analysis has shown that night crime increased after the introduction of 24-hour drinking is yet more evidence why the Government should have listened to our call to pilot the scheme and assess its consequences instead of recklessly unleashing it on our towns and communities."