A FORMER Marlow publican has said that binge drinking is not to blame for antisocial behaviour.

Martin Bates, formerly landlord of the Duke of Cambridge in Queens Road, spoke out after businesses in the town had been subjected to antisocial behaviour and had found their windows repeatedly smashed in the early hours of the morning.

Many also called for a review of the CCTV network in Marlow.

Mr Bates said: "Pubs are losing their identity. They are only marketing themselves to the young. To attract young people they hire young staff and you end up with puppies serving puppies and no moderating older influence, so it's no wonder their behaviour gets out of hand."

A spokesman for Marlow Pub Watch agreed.

She said: "Family-run pubs are slowly dying out and being replaced by chain pubs that can afford the higher rents in town. Binge drinking has always been around. The difference between then and now is that when people got out of hand there was usually someone more responsible about to deal with them."

Customers are also concerned about the changing pub culture.

A typical customer comment left on a Marlow pub guide website said: "A lot of the pubs in Marlow used to be lovely places where you could go for a chat. Now they seem to be taken over at weekends by teenagers who just want to get drunk, and music so loud you can't talk over it."

A change in licensing legislation in theory permits 24-hour pub opening hours and requires landlords to apply for a new licence from the district council.

Mr Bates is not against pubs serving past 11pm but said it could further blur the lines between pubs and clubs, driving away the more moderate elements looking to enjoy a quiet drink, and with them the last remaining calming influences.

Marlow Pub Watch said young people were probably here to stay, because they spent more money on drinks than any other age group, and pubs needed their trade to satisfy shareholders.