Hewitt positive on licensing laws

Hewitt said binge drinkers damage their health

The change in licensing laws in England and Wales will help to reduce alcohol consumption, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has insisted.

Her comments came as the first weekend of 24-hour drinking began without the widely-feared wave of alcohol-fuelled debauchery and violence.

But she said drunken behaviour on city streets was an "absolute disgrace".

About 1,000 premises now have 24-hour licences, with thousands more licensed to extend opening by one or two hours.

'Real problem'

She told Andrew Marr on the BBC's Sunday AM programme that young binge drinkers in town centres were "an absolute disgrace".

"They're an enormous health worry, they're a worry to a large number of parents," she said.

"We've got a real problem there with a minority of people, particularly younger people who are drinking way beyond anything that would be regarded as safe or healthy.

"They're getting involved in not only damaging their own health but very often in violent and aggressive behaviour as well."

She said the government wanted to clamp down on binge drinking and had tried to help that by giving the power to award licences to local councils, rather than magistrates. People should be able to drink late in the day "responsibly and sensibly", she said.