As the last in our week-long series of articles looking at the problem of binge drinking in York, STEPHEN LEWIS and LUCY STEPHENS looked to the future and asked what could be done to address the issue.

AS Britain braces itself for new licensing laws that will see pubs and clubs opening for longer hours, the issue of binge drinking has never been a bigger issue.

Even the editor of the Good Pub Guide 2006 has stepped into the drinking debate, warning that because standard wine measures have increased from 125ml to 175ml, pub goers risk going over the drink-drive limit because they do not realise how much alcohol the bigger measures contain.

Tim Haigh, an assistant manager at the Slug & Lettuce bar in Back Swinegate, York, said wine measures in his bar were typically even bigger than that - 250ml for a normal glass and 175ml for a smaller one.

One small 125ml glass of wine was once thought to add up to about a unit of alcohol - but with greater alcohol percentages and glasses now routinely twice the size, those calculations are out of the window.

So are Tim's customers aware of how much alcohol they are actually drinking when they order wine by the glass?

"From a personal point of view, I think customer perception and awareness is far greater now," he said.

"I honestly do believe they're wise to what they are drinking.

"We have to show due diligence and I don't think it's ever been a problem.

"People are aware of the aesthetics and quality of wine these days. Having a small glass is not acceptable to somebody willing to pay £6 for a glass of wine."

But in today's climate of bigger wine glasses, drinks promotions and longer opening hours, what can be done to curb our anti-social drinking habits as booze-fuelled crime continues to worsen?

Jane Mowat, of the Safer York Partnership, has set out some of the measures the city's Night Time Economy task group is doing to tackle the issue.

They include:

High visibility policing in the city centre, with a mobile police station from 10pm onwards on weekend evenings, often in the Rougier Street area

Looking at whether the CCTV network can be used to monitor drunkenness problems

Working on a plan to disperse night-time drinkers, for example by making more transport available and putting taxi ranks away from places where people are queuing to get into a nightclub.

Exclusion orders or bans to bar habitual problem drinkers

Clamping down on serving alcohol to under-age boozers.

But according to Alison Tubbs from the York Alcohol Advisory Service, our whole attitude towards alcohol needs to change if binge drinking trends are to change - and education from a young age could be key.

"I do think we have an unhealthy drinking culture - and yes, I do think it is possible to change that," she said.

"People are aware of how it (drink) affects their health. But I think it takes time."

Alison would like to see, for example, alcohol policies in workplaces, and more raising of awareness of the health and other risks of drinking, not only to drinkers themselves, but to their families.

Maria Dodd, a parent who campaigns against late-night pub opening hours in residential areas, agreed that it might be appropriate for children at primary school age to be educated in the perils of excessive alcohol.

"One of the things we need to do as a society is build up an awareness of how to enjoy alcohol, but the serious dangers of alcohol abuse," she said. "I honestly believe we need to start educating children in primary school."

Changing attitudes towards how we drink is essential to policing our boozing habits, said York's police chief Tim Madgwick.

"One thing we need to do, which is beyond my control, is change the whole culture of drinking," he said.

He said the police force's two mobile CCTV vans would help build up a body of evidence against licensees who continued to serve customers after they had clearly drunk too much.

Police, working with other organisations, were also looking at ways of transporting people out of the city centre once they had stopped drinking.

If you have a problem with drink, or are worried about someone else who you think had a problem, you can phone York Alcohol Advisory service in confidence on 01904 652104.

Updated: 09:59 Friday, September 30, 2005