SPECULATION that Gordon Brown will decide not to reverse the 24-hour drinking laws has been broadly welcomed.

A senior Bournemouth police officer and the chair of Bournemouth's Town Watch partnerships both agree that a U-turn on round-the-clock licensing would be unlikely to tackle the problem of binge drinking and associated anti-social behaviour.

The Prime Minister ordered a review of 24-hour drinking within one month of taking office but it is believed this will conclude that the changes to the licensing laws have largely been a success.

Town Watch chair Alan Dove, who also runs the Old Fire Station in Holdenhurst Road, said he would like to see Mr Brown turn his attention to the supermarkets that sell alcohol at rock-bottom prices.

Mr Dove agreed. "The idea of 24-hour drinking is a bit of a myth," he said. "I don't think there are any premises that trade 24 hours in Bournemouth, except maybe a couple of hotels, but the change in the law does mean that venues now close anytime between midnight and 6am.

"The real heart of the problem is the discrepancy between how much you pay for a pint of beer in the high street and how much you pay for a pint of beer in Tesco.

"I think the cheap prices in supermarkets are leading to people drinking more at home before they go out.

"I can stock my bar cheaper from Asda than I can from a wholesaler. That's the challenge for the next 12 months - the discrepancy between the on-licensed premises and the off-licences."

Bournemouth Inspector Neil MacBean pointed out that the changes to the licensing laws had brought many benefits, including the right to request a review of a particular premises' licence.

"On the plus side it's got rid of the 2am race for a taxi and a takeaway and we have lost the violent crime hotspot at Horseshoe Common but it has also extended the night into 4 or 5am, which does stretch our resources," he said.

"I don't think 24-hour drinking is the real issue. We have now got a culture where it's acceptable to go out and get completely plastered.

"No longer do people appear to be going out to socialise, they're going out to drink as much as they can in as short a time as possible."