A North Yorkshire brewery was attacked today for rallying opposition to a proposed cut in the drink-drive limit.

Boroughbridge landlord and hotelier Richard Stables accused Tadcaster brewers John Smith's of putting beer sales before safety.

Mr Stables, proprietor of the Crown Hotel in Horsefair and also of the Kilima Hotel in Holgate Road, York, said that as a responsible hotelier and citizen, and also a caring parent, he would "welcome a complete ban on drinking and driving to rid the roads of idiotic drunken drivers."

The licensee said that when a group of customers travelled to a pub, the driver could stick to soft drinks while the others drank freely. He had spoken both to his managers and customers and found they both supported his viewpoint on a reduction.

Mr Stables spoke out after receiving a letter from John Smith's managing director Ray O'Flanagan, asking him to write to his MP in opposition to Government plans to reduce the alcohol limit for drivers from 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood to 50 mgms.

"Unfortunately, such a reduction is attractive to politicians who believe that it has universal support and that it has no social or economic cost," said Mr O'Flanagan.

"The industry will be taking the powerful arguments against a reduction to Government Ministers, civil servants and other opinion-formers."

And the brewery hit back today at Mr Stables' comments, saying initiatives were needed instead to make roads safer by stopping drivers who were well over the limit and caused most of the accidents.

A spokeswoman said the brewery had been receiving letters from landlords, particularly from country pubs, who were very worried about the impact of a reduction on their business.

Law-abiding drivers who wanted to go out and have a pub meal and a couple of pints in a country pub would be deterred, putting rural pubs out of business.

The Government is currently out to consultation on the proposed reduction.

Sergeant Nigel Atkinson, in charge of traffic police in York, said he personally supported any proposals to reduce the drink-drive limit."When you have seen the carnage caused by drinking and driving, as I have, repeatedly, I would support anything to reduce that risk."

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