Adrian Clay
The Litten Tree, Blackpool
"It's a veryright-wing paper which tends to take the moral high ground so people should not be too surprised at this campaign. The last one was a crusade against gambling and now the paper has turned on the pub trade. All their predictions about the drunken mayhem that will follow is unfounded because all the evidence from the industry is that nobody wants 24-hour opening."
Kevin Armes
The Rose Grower, Nottingham
"I think certain elements of the pub trade has brought thison the industry so you can understand the Mail's concern. Like hundreds of other licensees, I have no interest in opening morethan the odd extra hour but the campaign fails to recognise this. I think the vast majority of licenseeswill be taking a similarline."
Graham Rowson
Plungington Tavern, Preston
"I think the Mail is being fairly hysterical about all this and has failed to balance these storieswith an industry viewpoint.It does not mention what the Act actually proposes in terms of the four licensing objectives and becomes obsessed with 24-hour drinking which nobodywants and will not happen anyway."
David Heyes
The Garsdale, Bury, Lancashire
"It's all scaremongering in my opinion because very few pubs will open beyond 3am or could really afford to do so unless they are guaranteed to keep their pubs full at that hour. Like most new things it will take time to settle and we might have early difficulties but I don't think there will be the problems the Mail envisages. It's already clear most pubs will not be opening much beyond their current hours."