Wetherspoon's makes first 24-hour licence application

JD Wetherspoon has become the first large pub chain in the country to apply for a 24-hour licence.

The application, lodged two weeks ago, is for Wetherspoon's pub at Leeds railway station in the city centre.

The no-frills pub operator aims to attract the night-and-day flow of passengers through the station.

A spokesman for the company said: "It gives us the flexibility to keep the pub open for as long as we want to."

He added: "We are currently considering applying for two licences at Victoria and Liverpool Street railway stations in London and 10 sites at Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Liverpool and Birmingham airports."

In response to criticism from Alcohol Concern that the pubs might become a hang-out for binge-drinkers, the spokesman added: "If any of the pubs went that way we'd close them down."

by Tom Bill

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