POLICE PLEA OVER NEW DRINKING LAWS

Licensing reforms have led to a rise in the number of "super pubs" which put pressure on police, the Police Federation will tell a select committee of the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

The Westminster hearing will be told that the Licensing Act has, as yet, failed to encourage more responsible attitudes to alcohol or to reduce incidences of drink-related crime.

The Police Federation will say that super pubs "are very difficult to secure and police effectively without a significant drain on police resources".

The committee will also be told that one of the reasons why the Act has not succeeded in creating more responsible attitudes towards drinking is because of the cultural importance the British attach to alcohol.

The Police Federation will say: "The consumption of alcohol remains a fundamental part of most cultural aspects of British life and drinking to excess remains to be seen as laudable and to be encouraged by a significant proportion of the population."

The federation will also call for an end to cheap alcohol on sale in pubs, clubs and supermarkets, which they say "encourages binge drinking and contributes to the persistence of alcohol abuse among the young and under age population".

The Police Federation will also use the hearing to call for an assessment on the impact of late-night drinking and its impact on police resources.

The Conservatives said the Police Federation's concerns were proof that 24-hour drinking had created additional problems for the police.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: "This is a clear illustration of the consequences of Labour's decision to simply unleash 24-hour drinking on our towns and cities as well as their failure to tackle those who sell and consume alcohol irresponsibly."