Information for the drinking visitor to the UK

In the United Kingdom, the opening hours of pubs and bars - licensed premises, are controlled by legislation called the licensing laws.

In England and Wales, closing time is restricted to 10:30 p.m. on Sundays and 11:00 p.m. on other days. In Scotland and Northern Ireland the laws are more lax, allowing for 01:00 closing in Scotland1.

After this time, the management are not allowed to serve you more drinks, and customers have 20 minutes drinking up time. In theory, you could be prosecuted if caught by the police, drinking after this time.

Note that it is just a legal requirement to close at 11:00 p.m. - there is no legal requirement to stay open. In parts of Central London, the City of London especially, pubs usually close earlier (typically 9:00), and many do not open at all at weekends.2

Enforcement of closing time varies greatly. Many town pub managements are strict, whereas in rural districts, the police tend to turn a blind eye, and are more interested in drink driving and under age drinking.

Late licences

New: (Nov 2005). Establishments wanting to sell alcohol after 11:00 can apply to local government for a late licence. They will need to do so if offering late night food or entertainment, whether or not alcohol is for sale. Such licences are granted on a permanent, rather than a one off basis. See licensing laws.

History

The licensing laws for controlling the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises originate from the First World War. The act of parliament was introduced by a government worried that productivity in the armaments factories was been lost due to excessive drunkenness of the factory workforce.

The licensing act has never been repealed, but changes have been made in the last 20 years to moderate the laws. In 1980, pubs closed at 10:30 most days of the week, and only 10 minutes drinking up time were allowed. Also, the pubs could not open through the afternoon - they had to close at 3:00 and reopen at 5:30 (they had to close from 2:00 to 7:00 on Sundays).

My opinion

These inane laws are causing health problems and alcoholism through binge drinking (getting one more in before closing time), and leading to road traffic accidents at the 11:30 peak as everybody leaves the pubs at the same time. The licensing laws are long overdue for repeal. I believe the UK should adopt the common sense system operating in the rest of the world, and allow each business to choose their own operating hours.

Update: November 2005

The Licensing Act 2003 has allowed late licences to become much more widespread, though closing time is still 11:00 in lieu of a late licence (and also if the publican feels like it). See licensing laws for more details.

Notes:

1 In Edinburgh and Glasgow, pubs can open until 3am - though they are about to move to a unlicensed scheme. Thanks to bodhi for this contribution.

2 Thanks to spiregrain for reminding me about City pubs.