A BLANKET "closed-door" policy has been introduced for Basingstoke town centre pubs in a bid to curb late night drunken rowdiness.

The policy - which will stop people entering bars after 11.30pm - was requested by the police to try to reduce problems involving drinkers who drift from pub to pub at the Top of the Town late at night over the busy weekend period.

Landlords are being instructed to abide by this rule when they renew their public entertainment licence, which now allows them to open until 11pm from Monday to Thursday, 1.30am on Friday and Saturday and until midnight on Sunday.

A borough council spokesman told The Gazette the changes have been made after discussions between the police, council officials and licensees.

"The 11.30pm non-admission has already started," he said. "Some of the renewed licences are being sent out now, and the next batch will go out in September. By then, all the bars should be included."

Basingstoke's top police officer, Superintendent Alison Queen, said the police do not want to stop town centre pubs from attracting more people, but added that they need to control the number of people who are there at night.

"While, in the main, problems are isolated when large groups of people meet, it sometimes degenerates into conflict and violence," she said, adding there is a feeling that families avoid coming into the town centre at night because they are afraid.

Supt Queen continued: "That's the last impression we want to give when the town centre is trying to create a new image."

But Rhu bar landlord Rob Bates, who has been running under the new regime since he started operating his late licence last weekend, said he is unhappy with the policy.

"I don't mind my doors closing at midnight or 12.30am, but 11.30pm doesn't give people time to get here if they have been out for a meal or travelling from Reading," he said.

"When I launched my 2am licence last Friday and Saturday, I had a lot of people trying to get in at 11.45pm and I had to turn them away. That affected my business, but I had to comply with the licence."

Jason Walls, assistant manager at The Hogshead, said a licensing officer had told him about the changes a few weeks ago.

He said: "It'll make a bit of difference, but if people are going to get drunk, they're going to get drunk anyway. They will still be let out on the streets at the same time. "The late licence just means people are going to spend five hours drinking instead of three. We are about the only pub I know that is not going to take up the offer of opening late."