Midnight cheer for Dorset licensee on SAD

Licensee Nigel Jones toasted the dawn of the new licensing era at the Railway Hotel in Blandford Forum, Dorset just after midnight last night.

The pub - besieged by journalists - called last orders at 11pm yesterday before serving free soft drinks in the run-up to midnight.

The Railway Hotel is one of an estimated 300 pubs and bars in England and Wales to have been granted a 24-hour drinking licence.

"We're not going to be open 24 hours a day. We've got to take the children to school to start with!" said Nigel.

"What this means is that when a long darts match comes to an end, the loser will now be able to buy the winner a drink."

It emerged today that another venue to be handed a 24-hour licence was a Conservative club in Bournemouth - despite fierce Tory opposition to the new regime!

Bournemouth East Conservative Club has been granted a round-the-clock licence to sell alcohol and to host live and recorded music. Asked whether she thought the application was hypocritical, bearing in mind the party's position, a spokeswoman told The Publican: "We are not a very political club."