New drink law gets 'mixed results'

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said the first official review of the law showed it was achieving "mixed" results. Tougher enforcement was needed to make sure people could enjoy the "freedom" of late licences without boosting violence and anti-social behaviour, he added.

In a written statement to the Commons, Mr Burnham said some areas appeared to have suffered ill effects, and the impact of the law had not been "consistent" across the country.

"Whilst crimes involving violence may have reduced over the evening and night-time period, the evidence also points to increases in offences, including violent crimes, reported between 3am and 6am. This represents 4% of night-time offences."

He went on: "Similarly, whilst there is no clear picture of whether alcohol-related admissions have risen, some hospitals have seen a fall in demand, others have reported an increase.

"It is also clear that the overall reduction in alcohol-related disorder we wanted to see across the country has not materialised consistently in all areas."

Mr Burnham branded the proportion of crimes taking place in the early hours of the morning "unacceptable", and set out measures to tackle alcohol-related disorder and bolster enforcement of the Licensing Act.

The Government is to produce a "ranking" of areas based on the risk their bars and off-licences pose to "crime and disorder, public nuisance and children".

Police and local authorities will then be able to use this information to identify "hotspots", where licences may be withdrawn "wholesale", according to Mr Burnham. A system of "yellow" and "red" cards will be introduced for premises which breach their licence conditions, while the "three strikes" rule for businesses who sell booze to anyone under-age will be upgraded so they lose their licence after being caught twice.

The maximum fine for failing to obey a police instruction to stop drinking will also be raised from £500 to £2,500.