Chaos has not broken out as a result of more relaxed pub opening hours.
That is the overwhelming message from licensees who back the Morning Advertiser's ongoing campaign to trumpet the pub as the heart of its community.
Darryl Downes, freehold licensee of the Limes, in the Hampshire village of Fareham, said she had not noticed any increase in disorder after the new laws began on 24 November.
She called for the focus of media attention to switch to
the off-trade.
"I think most [pub] licensees have the same opinion," said Downes, who can now open until midnight without a special supper licence.
"You can go to the super-
market and buy as much as you want then go home and drink in one go and there is nobody there to police it. In a pub, if somebody is a bit the worse for wear you tell them to stop drinking."
Somerset host Ellie Carter said there had been "absolutely no trouble at all" at her pub, the Half Moon in Somerton, since the new laws began.
But she said the media's obsession with "24-hour drinking" meant some customers misunderstood the full implications of the Licensing Act. The Half Moon can now open until midnight in the week and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The licensee said: "People were a little bit confused at
first, but we told them what
was what. They expected we would open for 24 hours. I
have to tell them that we are open very similar hours."
To join the MA campaign, download a poster and petition form from www.morningadvertiser.co.uk and, when you've collected enough signatures, send it to the address on page 13. Please include your pub's name and address.