Officials approve bar’s £10 ‘all you can drink’ night

A £10 all-you-can-drink promotion has been given the green light by a London council as a police commander questioned government plans for a crackdown on the alcohol industry.

Ealing council has ruled that an Australian-themed bar in Acton is not encouraging irresponsible drinking with the cut-price deal.

Customers at the Redback Tavern taking advantage of the two-hour Sunday evening offer are given a half-pint cup to fill with a choice of draught beers, spirits and mixers.

Martin Bell, who runs the 600-capacity venue, said: "We offer free food beforehand and our supervisors enforce all the standard licensing requirements."

The pub has been given a string of licence conditions including having to play a tape half an hour before closing time asking customers to leave quietly.

The go-ahead for the promotion came as Commander Simon O'Brien, the Association of Chief Police Officers' leader on alcohol and licensing, rejected moves for further legislation to deal with the effects of Britain's binge-drinking culture.

Ministers favour banning happy hours, discount drinks and extra-large measures after widespread abuse of the industry's current voluntary code was exposed by a Department of Health report this summer.

But Mr O'Brien said: "It's my view, and that of other colleagues at ACPO, that we have a sufficient amount of legislation. I'm comfortable with the amount of legislation at the moment."

His comments, made in an interview with pub trade magazine the Morning Advertiser, suggest a difference of opinion between police and the Home Office.

Mr O'Brien, borough commander of Haringey, said of licensees: "The vast majority act very responsibly. Licensees are superb policemen of people on their premises. There are certain people in the trade that don't act responsibly, or wish to promote irresponsible promotions, but I think they are in the minority."

Management consultants KPMG, who conducted a report on alcohol retailers, found "a disturbing level of irresponsible and harmful practice in significant sections of the industry".

They criticised the promotion of heavy drinking by low-price offers and sales of alcohol to people already clearly drunk.

The Government signalled it felt the solution was a tougher mandatory code of practice. Its views were backed by the British Medical Association and Alcohol Concern.

A Home Office spokesman said consultations on the report closed last month and an official announcement may be made before Christmas.