Well at last here it's finally here, 24 hour drinking for all those who have applied for and been granted their new licence, I wonder how that will affect people around here? I suppose people who have to get up for work will only notice the difference at weekends, when they can drink longer in the places where they have the extended drinking times, and people who have money and don't work can start drinking sooner, and finish drinking later.

I noticed at one of my regular lunch time watering holes (John Smith's bitter £1.09) that they are going to open at 9am instead of 10am, should have made it 8am then office workers could have had a beer for breakfast before going to work, instead of having to wait 'till lunch time.

I went out last night to see a folk music gig in Hebden Bridge, a great night, but now that they have a license for later drinking, the acts started later and finished later, meaning I had to stay later than usual to see the end on the gig, obviously not as good when you have to get up for work the next morning and can only have 2 pints max when driving.

I don't think many of the local alcohol distribution premises have applied for the full 24 hour license, and the ones that have, doing so for the occasional function or event.
Mostly pubs and clubs have applied for extended hours, so they can offer the extra hour or two drinking time.

Licensing laws in England and Wales have changed little since 1915, when they were tightened to stop factory workers turning up drunk and harming the war effort.
I wonder whose turn it will be to turn up for work drunk now?

Only one watering hole in the borough of Burnley snapped up the opportunity to get a 24-hour licence – The Roggerham Gate Inn, in Todmorden Road, Briercliffe – while scores of others had their opening hours extended.
However, Roggerham Gate landlord Mr Anthony Wiaczek insists the licence is for flexibility reasons only, and customers cannot expect to be sitting in his pub 24/7.
He said: "We won't be open all of the time, we couldn't man the bar for that amount of time and there just wouldn't be the custom. This just gives us more options.
"This means if we are doing pretty well at 11 p.m., there's no need to call last orders. Again, we can open up if there's a football, cricket or boxing match going on abroad in the early hours.
"We also feel people working long hours, such as businessmen or police officers would like to pop in after work.
"To be honest I am really surprised that more people haven't taken up the opportunity to apply for a 24-hour licence. You can open and close any time you choose and it gives you total flexibility."
Burnley Council received 150 applications for extended opening hours from pubs and nightclubs, as well as restaurants, takeaways and off-licences.
Many people have blasted the option of 24 hour drinking, fearing long opening hours will create a race of drunken yobs bringing carnage to quiet residential neighbourhoods.
But any pubs that become disorderly as a result of the new opening hours will be given two months to sort out the situation or will be billed for the extra policing costs.
Mrs Ussher supports the new Act that, she says, liberalises the archaic and inflexible licensing laws and gives the police and residents more powers.
She said: "Police will have expanded powers to close down disorderly and excessively noisy licensed premises and in future this will also apply to other night-time establishments, such as cafes and take-aways."