Pub law reforms come into force

MORE than 1,000 businesses now have the right to open round the clock after new licensing laws came into force at midnight in England and Wales.

About one-third of those are pubs, bars and nightclubs, and another third are supermarkets, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said.

Critics fear the extended opening hours could increase alcohol-fuelled crime and put pressure on over-stretched A&E departments.