I COULDN'T help but chuckle this week when some idiot standing near me in a pub told his mate that the new extensions of drinking times would be a "good thing" for Britain.

Yes, I was in the pub for a drink but I must admit I am currently undergoing a detox following a rather manic holiday abroad.

The sad thing with what this chap said, was that he seemed to be copying the views of liberal minded ministers who think that simply by having an extension to drinking times all our problems will be solved.

In other words, the longer you stay open the less drunken louts you produce. Their claim is that by having extended hours, drinking will be more relaxed and more spread out across a longer period of time thus you produce less drunks. But I can reassure you that when a pub is about to shut on a Saturday night it does not necessarily make people rush to the bar to cram in as many drinks as possible.

If they want to drink more they will quite happily go to a club and still get blind drunk. This view is completely out of touch with the reality of Britain's booze culture which clearly does exist- and is not a product of the press. So next time you are sober on a night out and see someone being sick in the street ask yourself whether you agree with that chap in the pub. I clearly do not.