A pub managers' union is promising legal backing to members who face losing their personal licences due to unfair treatment by police and councils.
This week letters are being sent to all 3,200 members of the National Association of Licensed House Managers (NALHM) offering to pay legal fees to fight challenges to protect personal licences.
NALHM president Dave Daly said members had criticised the inconsistent approach of police and council enforcement officers as they monitor pubs and clubs.
"There seems to be different initiatives in each town. Some are quite strict and others aren't. Some are going heavily on underage drinking and some on drunkenness. For other it's noise."
NALHM's representative in the Transport & General Workers Union, Brian Revell, recently wrote to the Association of Chief Police Officers asking for more consistency among police.
Daly added: "It's not the companies that are the enemy. It's the councils that are not singing off the same song sheet and the police who are policing by fear.
"We are saying we are the only people who will protect their personal licence against police and councils."
NALHM hopes to boost membership by calling on shift managers and supervisors to join - "anyone with a personal licence". Daly reckons the group can reach 5,000 members by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, NALHM is campaigning to scrap plans to fine licensees under the smoking ban.
All eight regional chairmen of NALHM agreed at a meeting last week that the onus should be on the smoker to pay.
The group is now looking for an MP to sponsor an Early Day Motion (EDM) asking for zero fines for licensees.
EDMs are used by MPs to highlight issues of concern and fellow members are urged to put their names to them to put pressure on ministers to act.
Under the current rules, licensees who allow anyone to smoke on their premises faces a fine of up to £2,500. The smoker faces a £50 fixed-penalty notice.
NALHM president Dave Daly told the Morning Advertiser: "People who operate aeroplanes (where smoking is also banned) don't get fined (if passengers light up)."