Howard: I'll hit the 'yob' binge drinkers

Tory leader Michael Howard today called for a radical overhaul of licensing law to clamp down on binge drinking.

On a visit to Leicester Square, Mr Howard said a Conservative government would allow councils to ban bars from opening within 500 yards of other licensed premises.

The Tories would scrap guidelines from Whitehall which prevent councillors from turning down applications even if there are too many pubs and clubs in a city centre.

Five out of six young men and three out of four young women admit to binge drinking. Mr Howard said: "We all know what the consequences are. Fights, intimidation, shop windows smashed in, communities vandalised. It's wrong and people shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

"I have lost count of the times that hard-working, lawabiding couples have told me they'd rather stay in now than run the gauntlet of the binge drinkers." He said many towns and cities now had a "yob culture, not a café culture".

Under the Tory plans, local councils would be able to attach conditions to licences, for example on drinks promotions. Premises that sell alcohol to people under 18 or to people who are already drunk should have their licences removed, Mr Howard said.