London: A hundred years of restrictive drinking laws were swept aside on Thursday as pubs in England and Wales were allowed to stay open around the clock.
England and Wales have abolished the 2300 GMT closing time observed by most pubs.
According to the new law, which will allow pubs to serve alcohol up to 24-hours a day, England and Wales will lead to civilised drinking habits like those of France and Spain.
But the Opposition argue that longer opening hours of pubs will only increase the puddles of vomit on street corners, the queues at hospital emergency wards or the weekend overcrowding of police cells.
The relaxed laws also apply to supermarkets in England and Wales. Scotland already has later opening hours.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, About 75 per cent of pubs in England and Wales will now be able to stay open beyond 2300 GMT.
One of the pub?s customers said that the law is good as people can have alcohol anytime.
Critics argue that Britain's binge-drinking habits notorious from Spain's Costa del Sol to the Greek Islands are so ingrained that more access to alcohol will simply mean more drunks.
"It will probably mean we will stay out later and be able to drink. It's nice to be able to go out and get a beer when you want to, so I think that it's a good thing to be honest," added another customer.
According to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, about 1,000 licenses have been allowed to open around the clock of which just over one third are for supermarkets.
New police powers to crackdown on booze-fuelled violence and close troublesome premises go hand-in-hand with the new hours.
The government has forecast a rise in alcohol-associated crime figures because of the police crackdown a prediction seized upon by the Opposition Conservative Party.
But alcohol experts say binge drinking and drinking to get drunk have been integral parts of British and Northern European culture since the mead-swilling Vikings, and those habits will take time to reverse.
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