Closing time: Breakfast's poll findings

This area is packed with drinkers on summer afternoons

Far from being a vote winner, the government's plan to let pubs stay open for longer could be deeply unpopular, according to a survey specially commissioned for BBC Breakfast.

The new laws come into effect in two weeks' time, when new longer licenses will begin to be available.

The official line is that the'll put an end to binge-drinking, by removing the pressure to get tanked up before closing time at 11pm.

But, according to an opinion poll conducted for Breakfast by ICM, most of us believe that the country will become a worse place to live, if licensing laws are relaxed.

This morning, Breakfast asked whether changing the licensing laws is a huge mistake

Breakfast's Julia Botfield reported live from one of the most popular areas for open-air drinking in London in summer: beside the Thames in Richmond.

What you told Breakfast Extended hours should go ahead. I am sure that the MAIN reason for binge drinking is that we drink against the clock. Dave Johnson, Middlesbrough There has been a steady increase in antisocial behaviour here. Increasing the drinking time will only add to the problem. John Hardaker, North Yorkshire Read more viewers' comments on our Your Say page

And, we reported from two contrasting areas: Newcastle quayside and Tynemouth, where drinkers feel very differently about changing the licensing laws.

We talked to the Tories' Home Affairs spokesman David Davies.

He accused the government of suppressing misgivings about the changes:

"The government witheld information about the medical advice they got," he told Breakfast.

"David Blunkett, when he was Home Secretary, expressed concerns too."

Part of the problem, he added, was that people no longer took public order offences associated with drink so seriously.

Fewer people were being arrested for being drunk and disorderly, even though there was more trouble on the streets at closing time.

We heard from the culture minister Richard Caborn whether the government had suppressed information

"That's an absolute load of rubbish," he told us.

Caborn: local people can decide

"The impetus for this came from the police and local authorities."

He argued that the new system will mean that local people will have more say in how much drinking they want to see in their own area, because local councils rather than magistrates will hand out pub licences.

We explored why British people seem to binge drink more than other nations, with Professor Colin Drummond from St George's Hospital in London.

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Licensing laws: a Breakfast poll

The polling organisation ICM conducted a survey of 1,024 people across Britain, on January 19 and 20.

They asked three questions:

1) Would extending flexible licensing hours for pubs make Britain a better place to live - or a worse place to live?
Better: 26% total (male 34%; female 18%)
Worse: 62% total (male 54%; female 70%)
Don't know: 12% (male 12%; female 12%)

2) Do you think the current closing time of 11pm is out of date or not?
Yes: 46% total (male 55%; female 38%)
No 50% total (male 40%; female 59%)
Don't know: 4% total (male 5%; female 2%)

3) Do you think anti-social behaviour would increase or decrease if pubs were allowed to stay open beyond 11pm?
Increase: 67% total (male 60%; female 74%)
Decrease: 22% total (male 30%; female 15%)
Don't know: 11% total (male 11%; female 11%)

Young people are more likely to want the licensing laws to be reformed than the older generation, according to our poll.

More than one in three 18-34 year olds reckon Britain would be a better place to live with more relaxed drinking laws - but just over four out of five pensioners think it will make things worse.

Our survey also found that people in the lower social groups were more worried that anti-social behaviour would increase (78% of the lowest social group, compared with 61% of the highest)