'Pub drinking more dangerous than at home'

Drinking in the pub is "potentially more explosive" than doing so at home, according to a senior Tesco lobbyist.

Emma Reynolds, the supermarket's head of Government affairs, told a conference on women and binge drinking today: "Pubs can potentially be a more explosive environment to drink in than the home."

She qualified this by pointing to problems "when drunk people get together".

Reynolds was speaking in response to claims that pushing up the price of alcohol in supermarkets would mean more people going to pubs.

Earlier, Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton said licensing reform had increased the workload for police.

She said three sergeants and 24 constables currently patrol central Oxford between 10pm and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. This compares to two sergeants and 12 constables four years ago, before the Licensing Act was introduced.

Patrols are to be added on Thursday nights too, Thornton added.

The conference, called Women Finding Solutions to Binge Drinking, was hosted by the YMCA at Westminster.