Booze problems

Heavily promoted in advertisements aimed primarily at younger drinkers, these lagers make a considerable contribution to street violence, road accidents and accidents in the home as well as heart disease and other ailments.

InBev's Stella Artois, the lager banned by several publicans in Brighton and Hove, is not called "wife beater" for nothing. It is not the strongest lager sold in the UK, but publicans noticed that, in reasonably modest quantities, it has a character-changing effect on some customers. That is why some of them choose not to sell it. Others felt there were better products they could offer their customers with less alarming side-effects.

In his letter, Mr Evans adopted the usual alcohol industry tactic of throwing up the Portman Group smokescreen to defend his company's position.

The Portman Group is funded by the alcohol industry and produces a code of practice on the naming, packaging and pro-motion of alcoholic drinks. The effectiveness of this code can be judged on any Friday or Saturday night in Terminus Road, Eastbourne, or West Street, Brighton, the two most dangerous streets in Sussex.

It is hard to argue that selfregulation has had much of an impact on the drinks industry, and if the Government seriously wants to tackle the harmful effects of alcohol, it should impose tighter controls on the manufacture, advertising and sale of the stuff.

What, for instance, is the Portman Group's view on the licensing application by the Booze Factory to open an outlet in Lewes Road that will sell alcohol 22 hours a day, shutting only between 4am and 6am?

The licensing system, which has very limited powers of refusal, will probably prove useless yet again.

Local people, particularly those with children, are deeply unhappy about the proposals. Perhaps the Portman Group will support their opposition to the granting of a licence?

• Bill Randall, Green councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove, Brighton and Hove City Council