London licensees not keen on mayor's drunk test

Licensees are unconvinced Boris Johnson's proposed "24/7" sobriety programme would make their lives any easier.

London's mayor wants to trial a pilot scheme that would force people convicted of drink-related crimes to stay sober or face going to prison.

Those in the scheme would be tested early in the morning and in the evening to make sure they stayed sober around-the-clock - and would also have to pay for the privilege.

According to the mayor's office London already faces 50 per cent more alcohol-related crimes per 1,000 people than the rest of the country.

In South Dakota, in the United States, where a similar scheme has been introduced, a 99.6 per cent compliance rate has been reported.

But Dennis Ross, manager at the White Hart, on Drury Lane, Central London, said: "If someone has a problem with drink and they commit a crime and you let them out, I'm sure they'll repeat. I don't think it will work."

Nearby, at the Cross Keys in Covent Garden, licensee John Devlin wasn't impressed. "If you're a decent publican you will know what your customers are drinking anyway. We are a small pub - and you won't accept people coming into the pub drunk," he said.