Concerns, but no ban on drink promos

HAPPY hours seem set to continue in Guernsey, despite proposals to ban them in the UK. But leading publicans and Home Affairs Committee president Mike Torode have raised concerns that the cheap drink offers might lead to antisocial behaviour.

In the UK, Home Secretary David Blunkett is considering the case for curbing happy hours and other cut-price promotions.

Cindy de Jersey, licensee at La Fontaine Inn and president of the Guernsey Licensed Victuallers' Association, will not introduce them.

'From a personal point of view, I do not agree with them,' she said.

Legislation to ban happy hours would not bother her.

'I am behind anything that might stop antisocial behaviour.'

Deputy Torode said that a ban was not on the agenda at the moment.

'But happy hours and other various promotions certainly offer an opportunity to cram an awful lot of alcohol into a short period of time,' he said.

'That cannot be good.'

Mark Pontin, licensee at the Ship & Crown, said that all pubs in Guernsey had stopped happy hours.

'There has never really been a call for it over here,' he said.

'The concern is the nightclubs, which have promotions like '1 a drink for an hour or two. That allows people to get drunk more quickly.'

Four nights a week, Club 54 lets people in for '3 and gives them five free-drink vouchers.

All spirits, with Pepsi or lemonade, cost just '1. Two-for-one offers are available all night on Grolsch lager and the alcopop WKD Blue.

Manager Ian McMahon disputed that cheap drink promotions led to antisocial behaviour.

'We see more drunkenness now since the pubs have been allowed to stay open an extra hour,' he said.

He added that extending pub opening hours left Club 54 with no choice but to start cut-price offers.