Party poopers or a corking solution?

NEW plans to outlaw boozy pub crawls, impose a crackdown on “all you can drink” promotions, and swop plastic pots for glasses and bottles have been drawn up by the Home Office.

Reporter JANICE BARKER asked people in Oldham town centre their views

Councils will be able to ban happy hours at troubled pubs, and local licensing bosses will be charged with makingowners stick to the rules.

Publicans who break the new code could face losing their alcohol licences, be fined £20,000 or face six months behind bars.

Glasses and bottles which have been used in 87,000 violent attacks in the UK, will also be outlawed to stop them being used as weapons.

Licensing officers in Oldham are also currently drawing up their own alcohol strategy for the borough, including post office style queueing for drinks promotions.

Julie Hatch (37) from Oldham, shopping with her partner Richard Salt (21) and daughter Jessica (19 months) said: “The ideas are just fine.

“I’ve got an 18-year-old son, who has been to £10 all you can drink nights and it’s not nice. It was a lot different when I was younger.

“I went into Oldham with my son to see what it was like.

“Everything seemed OK and there weren’t many people being sick or fighting, they were just drinking too much.”

Richard added: “I’ve been in Oldham in the past but I don’t drink any more. I got beaten up in the centre of town — there was a few of them and one of me.

“I know someone who hit someone on the head with a glass bottle because he was drunk.”

Oldhamer Katrina Berriman (38) who now lives in Stockport, said: “I have mixed feelings about this. For the older generation a few bargain beers is a good thing. The younger generation perhaps can’t handle drink, and it’s a good thing to clamp down.

“I’m aware of Oldham’s reputation as I have family in Oldham and work in Oldham.”

Russian student Anna Savkiv (23) who now lives in Oldham and is learning English, said: “In my country people drink more but here there is much more violence.

“Barmen and women should see that someone is already drunk and stop selling to them. In America it is 21 before you can drink, here it is 18, and it is a big problem.”

Anne Moran (46), of Oldham, used to be a door supervisor in Manchester, and is setting up her own company Alpha Security, so has first hand experience of the drinking culture.

She said: “I saw the good side as well as the bad side of people. I don’t think you should ban pub crawls or happy hours. Basically we used to have trouble getting people to use plastic glasses. People prefer to drink from a glass.”

Michael Wolde (55), of Failsworth, said: “There will always be someone who abuses the system because it’s cheap. There are really a few senseless people in the world who need to be pushed for their own good.

“I still drink sensibly.”

College student Simon Padula (18) from Oldham said: “I go into Oldham centre every now and again. You see fights and stuff. I steer clear of it, it’s drink. Plastic would be good then they can’t use glass as a weapon.

“I prefer to go to Manchester.”

And Toni Warburton (20), also from Oldham, said: “I don’t go out much any more.

“I do think the suggestions are a good idea. There are places to avoid in Oldham but a few of them have now closed.”