MR Hanford ('Flying a boozy kite', March 17) may remember the main cause of Britain's town centres being in the state they are at night.

I can certainly remember the repeated assurances that liberalisation of the licensing laws would lead to a more relaxed drinking culture, with no "10-o'clock swill", and less violence.

This has always been moonshine, put forward by the drinks industry and gullibly accepted by successive governments.

The examples cited to back up these claims are mainly Mediterranean Europe countries, but these places have a different culture.

We are descended from the Germanic tribes who associated alcohol with war.

This was very useful for defeating the Romans, but now it only spells trouble often in the form of violence.

Modern social research backs this up: in drink northern Europeans show markedly different behaviour from our southern neighbours.

Whether we can turn back the clock on the drinking and clubbing scene is doubtful, but any extensions should be resisted by pointing to the results of our past folly.

Mike Cadoux,

Church Street,

Bubwith,

Selby.

...I WAS reading your report 'Drinks will be tagged if left at club' (March 12) and I think it is an excellent, long overdue idea.

Would it not make more sense for clubs and pubs to devise a way to safeguard their customers' drinks, since the prime time when drinks are left alone are when the customers go to dance and are not allowed to take drinks on to the dance floor.

With date rape drugs becoming more widely used, why not create a system that would allow dancers to hand their drinks in at the bar and collect a ticket so they can get them back later.

Helen Jarvis,

Barlow Street,

Acomb,

York.

Updated: 10:22 Friday, March 19, 2004