Happy hours in bars along Birmingham's entertainment district are to be axed under tough new regulations aimed at cutting alcohol-fuelled disorder. The clampdown on two-for-one and 'all you can drink' promotions in Broad Street will come into effect on Monday and will be rolled out across the city centre in coming weeks. Any bars not signed up to the plan face closure by police, who have voiced concerns about links between binge drinking and violence. The strict new rules have been spearheaded by West Midlands Police after a steep rise in violent disorder on the city centre's 'golden mile'. Violent crime in and around Broad Street increased by 14 per cent last year and the area accounted for 41 per cent of alcohol-related crime in the city centre. The new rules were agreed at Birmingham Council House yesterday at a meeting of the Broad Street steering group, which consists of police officers, council officials, local traders, residents, taxi companies and licensees. Chief Superintendent Peter Goodman, commander at Steelhouse Lane police station, said he called the meeting after "a number of incidents over the weekend which made me realise that it was time to act". He handed licensees contracts which rule out any future drinks promotions at their premises. The majority of contracts were signed at the meeting and only a handful were taken away by pub managers for legal clarification. Chief Supt Goodman added: "I think there is a relationship between the provision of pricing promotions - which encourage people to drink a lot - and violence. "Binge drinking is the single biggest contributing factor to disorder and so it must be tackled head-on. "I am pleased that most of the bar and club managers signed up to the agreement there and then." All the bars and nightclubs along Broad Street are expected to sign up to the plan on Monday or "face the consequences", Chief Supt Goodman added. Bars which have not signed up will be inspected regularly by police. If it is felt by officers that the venue cannot guarantee the safety of customers, it will be closed down under the terms of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. A small number of venues which have already run advertising for specific drink offers will be allowed to continue their promotions over the next two weeks. "But there will be no promotions on Broad Street in two or three weeks," Chief Supt Goodman said. The new rules will be rolled out with a range of other hardline regulations for licensees, which will see them being forced to attend crime-tackling Pubwatch and Clubwatch meetings and agreeing to ban troublemakers from premises. The happy hour ban will be rolled out across the city centre "as soon as possible", Chief Supt Goodman said. Alan Sartori, owner of lap dancing venue The Rocket Club, in Broad Street, welcomed the new measures. "The problem for most people is that the size of their wallet is far exceeding their capacity for drinking," said Mr Sartori, who is also a member of the Broad Street Association and chairman of the district's Clubwatch scheme. Mr Sartori said the plan was agreed by most of the venues on Broad Street. "But the large pub chains on the road are having to go through their chains of command," he added. Last week The Birmingham Post revealed that the number of new bars and nightclubs in Broad Street is to be restricted by "alcohol saturation policies" in an attempt to revitalise the district's appeal. | 
