InBrief

Host's staple gun is 'noise nuisance'

A licensee is in trouble with his local authority after being told a staple gun he used to attach St George's flags to his pub constituted a "noise nuisance". Andrew Nash said he only took a few minutes to fire the eight staples at the Queens Head in Marlborough, Wiltshire, at about 1am, after he had finished for the night. But a letter from an environmental control officer at Kennet District Council said a complaint had been received about the noise of a staple gun.

Pub menus flag up superfoods

Two pub operators are highlighting superfoods on their menus. Ha! Ha!'s "superfood salad" includes mixed summer leaves, apple, feta, broccoli, celery, avocado, cucumber, walnuts and alfalfa with a zesty lemon oil dressing. JD Wetherspoon is also highlighting dishes containing superfoods in its new food-facts booklet.

New wine portfolio from WaverleyTBS

Scottish & Newcastle UK subsidiary, WaverleyTBS, launched its new wine portfolio at the London Hippodrome. More than 600 customers attended the event, sampling 300 wines from six continents. Guests were also treated to talks on biodynamic wine, flying wine-making and Burgundian wine making. Visitors included licensees and sommeliers.

Smoke ban 99% solid in N. Ireland

Smoke-ban officials in Northern Ireland say a staggering 99% of the 12,317 businesses they visited in the first eight days of the smoke ban were found to be complying with the new law. According to Belfast City Council, there have been just three cases of smokers having a cigarette in the 2,600 premises inspected by its officers, equating to a 99.9% compliance rate.

Parental guidance helps cut bingeing

Teenagers who drink alcohol with their parents are less likely to binge-drink, according to a survey of 10,000 children. The findings say a continental style of introducing teenagers to small amounts of alcohol at an early age prevents them from binge-drinking later. The study suggests that parents should cut teenagers' pocket money in a bid to cut their drinking. The survey was carried out by trading standards officers in more than 130 schools in north-west England.

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