These latest proposals have come from the Home Affairs Select Committee, and are aimed at curbing the rapid increase in drink-fuelled disorder in the UK.

‘The Happy Hour’, a firm fixture in Britain’s pub tradition, may find itself the next victim of rising drunken crime; recently published British Crime Survey found 45% of assaults carried out last year were by drunken attackers.

The same report also points to a 25% rise in serious violent crimes between 3am and 6am. Leading police officials have expressed concerns that their night deployment now revolves solely around getting enough officers on the street to deal with closing time.

The government has come under strong criticism, with Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve claiming that the increased alcohol-fuelled crime figures stem from a change in the licensing laws bought in by Labour in 2005. The laws aimed at curbing the binge-drinking culture have been widely seen to be failing. The Shadow Home Secretary branded the report as: "a shocking indictment of Labour’s reckless approach to extended licensing."

Another area highlighted by the report is supermarket sales of alcohol. Promotions, combined with prices forced down by competition, are ensuring that high-street retailers are selling booze at prices closer and closer to wholesale value. Police officials commented that increasingly, cheap and widespread ‘pre-pub’ drinking is only adding to their problems, with offenders, primarily young people, drunk before they reach the pub.

The report has urged swift reform, saying that the current situation is unacceptable. "We cannot have on one hand a world of alcohol promotions that fuel surges in crime and disorder", said Keith Vaz, Chairman, "and on the other police diverting all their resources to cope with it".