Police are attempting to force pubs opening after 1am to charge an admission fee of £5 or more in the latest distortion of the new licensing regime.
The shock tactic is being applied by Northumbria Police, which is issuing objections to all pubs currently applying for extended hours beyond 1am. The force is pushing for the mandatory cost to be imposed by the local council in return for allowing late opening.
The move has come without consultation with the pub trade and is against the principles of the Licensing Act, which insists that all extended hours for premises are decided on a case-by-case basis.
The licensing committee at Newcastle City Council is set to meet on October 25 to rule on the police request and consider licensing applications.
The pub trade has reacted angrily to the move. In a letter to Chief Constable Mike Craik, British Beer & Pub Association North secretary Lee Le Clerq said: "The new laws provide an opportunity for licensees to offer a post-11pm pub experience to a more mature clientele, the 40-somethings, who currently have nowhere to go at that time but home.
"Providing a late-night alternative to the nightclub scene will undoubtedly broaden the age range of town centre users. This scheme, which will severely disadvantage pubs competing with nightclubs, will dash any hopes of that."
Susan March, manager of the Percy Arms in Newcastle, said it would be wrong of the police to force through the charge. "People will just go to a nightclub instead," she said. "Pubs will lose their regular customers who will not want to pay."
Chief Inspector Kevin Wellden of Newcastle Area Command said: "We're seeking conditions where pubs and clubs would have to charge people to get in after a certain time. These would only apply to the Newcastle area and are not force-wide. They were agreed as guidance following consultation with various partners."
Newcastle City Council has indicated that it has no intention of issuing blanket conditions on any premises.