BLACKBURN Licensing, Betting and Gaming Committee recommended to magistrates that they should not accept any applications for licences. This was in line with the case law set in 1978.

People involved in the rehabilitation of alcoholics are in agreement.

Diane Ogden, district manager for the Alcohol and Drugs Service, which has offices in Burnley and Chorley and works with people who come from all over East Lancashire, thinks the idea of being able to open from breakfast time is a disaster waiting to happen.

She says that football and drunkenness go hand in hand and will cause huge problems if pubs were able to open and serve alcohol.

She said: "It is a fact that people drink excessively when watching football, but allowing drinking from breakfast time is just ridiculous.

"It is giving people the go ahead to be able to drink from eight o'clock in the morning right through until 11 o'clock at night, which many people will do.

"This will affect physical health, increase crime problems and encourage more people to take unwarranted time off work. We will also see an increasing number of people drinking and driving to get to work after being in the pub, which could cause unnecessary accidents.

"We see week after week problems in our town centres after people have been out drinking for three or four hours, never mind being out from morning right though to the late hours."

Diane said that the police had enough work to do without having to stretch their resources to look after the drunk and disorderly.

She added: "I work with the police and see all the people who have been put in custody for their drunken behaviour and I can only envisage that this problem would get worse if people were to be out all day drinking."

She added: "If magistrates were to grant licences for pubs to open early it would be completely irresponsible of them.

"There are too many negative factors to be considered when looking into things like this and Blackburn Magistrates have done the right thing by saying they won't consider any applications.

"The idea is riddled with problems, and if pubs were to open for people to have breakfast and tea then I would be all for it - the magistrates have taken the correct approach and should stick to it."

Darwen Methodist Superintendent Terry Young said if people were to drink in moderation then pubs would probably be allowed to serve alcohol, but he went on to say that some people abuse alcohol and spoil it for others.

Mr Young said: "When people watch football there is so much drinking that goes on it is hard to control and can cause extra problems for the police.

"I would be quite happy if people would drink in moderation, but the fact is that a minority of people go over the top and end up in the police cells the next day which spoils it for everyone."