Portsmouth pubs must pay for taxi marshals

Portsmouth pubs and bars will each pay more than £1,000 a year to fund taxi marshals in the city centre in a bid to crack down on alcohol-related violence.

The rank has been marshalled for three years but after council funding ran out, police and the Safer Portsmouth Partnership approached the local licensed trade for help.

Thirteen venues agreed to pay £20 a week to keep two marshals on between 11pm and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights and bank holidays.

The other pub in the area, Mitchells & Butlers owned Fleet and Firkin and Babylon, is providing two door staff for another taxi rank after closing from 2am to 2.30am.

"As pubs and bars we supply people with alcohol and entertainment so we can't just throw them out on the street," said Yates' manager and Portsmouth Pubwatch vice chairman Malek Lamrani.

"Initially, there were problems as the licensees wanted to know exactly where their money was going but the council was very transparent and all the pubs agreed it was a good idea."

Alan Knobel, substance misuse co-ordinator for the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, said: "The licensees realise that taxi marshals are a benefit to the area and the trade is taking responsibility for the dispersing customers."

The organisation hopes that the arrangement with the licensed trade will continue after the initial year's agreement is up.

Portsmouth City Council trialed six 20-foot high flood lights on Sunday 4 April at a cost of £2,000 and switched on from 2am to 3am to see if the brightness encouraged pub goers to move on more quickly.

Feedback from the police and ambulance services was positive. More reviews will take place, but floodlights could be installed permanently, at a cost of £30,000.