Licensing laws come into effect (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Licensing laws come into effect

PUB landlords in Ludlow and Tenbury Wells believe the new licensing laws will have a limited impact in the area.

The Licensing Act 2003 took effect on Wednesday, allowing pubs to continue trading longer than the traditional 11pm finish.

The George, in Ludlow's Castle Square, stayed open until 1am last Thursday and 15 people took advantage of late-night drinking.

Other pubs in the town such as the Church Inn in Church Street, Ludlow, did not open any later than normal on Wednesday night despite being granted extended opening hours.

The pub is now able to close at 1am on Saturday and Sunday mornings and at midnight for the rest of the week.

Tim Vaughan, landlord of The Queens, in Upper Galdeford, said he thought there had been an exaggeration in the amount of anticipated problems.

"I don't think people will drink any more. In the past when we have had an extension, we have not done a lot of business in the last hour," he said.

He added his customers were likely to take advantage of the pub's longer opening hours at the weekend but there would be little call for it in the week.

In Tenbury Wells, Anne Williams, a spokesman for the Royal Oak, said: "Although we have longer opening hours on paper, it won't make any difference to the time we open."

She added problems were likely to be limited to larger towns. "I could see people going on buses to Worcester for a while but I think it will be short-lived," she said.