“Come to my pub. I’ve got two convenience stores within yards selling alcohol until 11pm. Stand outside them with me and watch the young people coming out with cheap booze to drink before they hit the town centre.”

That was the challenge issued to the BRC by a Bristol landlord on a Radio Five Live phone-in. With the Government planning new restrictions on the selling of alcohol, I took up his offer.

The BRC has consistently pointed out that shops are the most responsible sellers of alcohol and tackling irresponsible drinking is not about banning promotions or regulating prices.

Let’s be honest – sources of high-priced alcohol, such as pubs and clubs, are often the sources of insobriety.

But would that stand up in front of reporter, microphone and publican? On my way to meet them I called into some of the stores. Hand on heart I saw a community being served, people buying a real mix of groceries. These were not simply substitute off-licences. In one, just as I would expect, I witnessed a would-be beer-buyer being asked to prove his age.

At around 7pm, the pub was almost empty apart from six or seven customers singing so loudly the reporter had to ask them not to drown out our interview. It emerged that some had been there since lunchtime.

I’m sure it was a very respectable establishment, but I just don’t buy the argument that all pubs and clubs are the highly supervised drinking environment that is claimed.

Indeed, the police sergeant who covers this area says what trouble there is, is associated with nightclub chucking-out time – not local shops.
The landlord claimed people were “pre-loading” on supermarket drink (even smuggling it into his pub) then causing trouble. He wants nearby stores shut after 9pm.

Well I didn’t see supermarket bags, bottles or cans in his premises or on the streets.

Incidentally, I also didn’t see young people weighed down with 24-bottle multipacks or anything similar. So the present Government proposal to stop supermarkets providing discounts to those who buy in bulk is perverse.

That’s exactly the way alcohol is bought to be taken home for family get-togethers, not as part of a night out.

The point is, raising the price of alcohol won’t deter the mischief makers, the yobs or abusers, but will hit hard-pressed families.
Politicians love legislation as an easy answer, but the way to make a real difference is by changing the culture around alcohol. Retailers continue to lead the way in giving customers the information they need to drink sensibly.

Finally, a tip: watch out for reporters making a big show of switching the tape recorder off, then trying to catch you off-guard by surreptitiously turning it back on again.

Tip to reporters: this trick would be less noticeable without the bright orange “mic-on” light.