- Wine merchants and delivery companies across Europe are gearing up for a boom in business ahead of a legal test case that is set to sweep away all import taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. Under pressure from the European Commission, the Treasury has already been forced to relax restrictions on so-called booze cruises, but a ruling expected at the European Court of Justice on November 23 would allow shoppers to snap up the best bargains around the continent from the comfort of their own homes. Leading European firms, including P&O Ferries and Oddbins, are planning to take advantage of the -liberalised regime by providing new services for British consumers by providing a delivery service for orders placed over the internet and by mail order. Sunday Telegraph
- The owners of an off-licence in Dewsbury plagued by gangs of teenagers is pleading with adults not to buy the youngsters booze. GM Foods, Victoria Street, Thornhill Lees, has had trouble with teenage gangs hanging around outside the shop for months. But the owners say the problem is being made worse by alcohol – much of it bought by adults. Shop owner Mohammed Rangzeb said: "After 4pm children hang around in gangs waiting for someone who is old enough to buy them alcohol. When people come in, we are always asking them who the alcohol is for. If we think they are buying it for them we don't let them have it." Mr Rangzeb's daughter, Ansar Saghir, who works in the shop said: "Grown-ups think they are doing the kids a favour buying them drink but we are left with the mess. "After drinking they just throw litter about. They hang around and spray graffiti everywhere. If we go out and tell them off we just get abuse. We are losing trade because people are frightened of the gangs." Dewsbury Today
- Adults who buy alcohol for children will be fined in an operation to crack down on under-age drinking. Police will patrol the streets of Salford on Friday and Saturday evenings as part of Operation Brocade, after joining forces with Salford council. Manchester Evening News
- Alcohol is to blame for more than 22,000 deaths a year in Britain - nearly three times higher than government estimates. New evidence to be published this week by Alcohol Concern paints a stark picture of how alcohol abuse destroys the lives of thousands of Britons. The charity will reveal that 60 people now die every day from drink. They warn that ministers are massively underestimating the problem by excluding nearly a third of deaths from official statistics. This includes cases where drink is an indirect factor, such as accidents and self-harm. The charity's report, Wasted: Lives Lost to Alcohol, found that up to one in three young people who commit suicide are intoxicated prior to death, and that excessive drinking is the second most important cause of high blood pressure after obesity. It also says up to 5,000 cancer deaths annually are linked to alcohol consumption. The Independent
- Open air toilets are being introduced in one of Cornwall's most popular resorts to stop people urinating in streets and in doorways. The authorities in Newquay hope the French-style pissoirs, which rise up from the ground at night, will help clean up the resort's image. The units are stored underground in the day for self-cleaning. Three urinals have been installed in Fore Street, Cliff Road and Manor Road in the area of the main nightclubs. Residents had complained about late-night revellers from pubs and clubs relieving themselves against walls and in the open. Anne Boosey, Restormel Borough Council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "Young men using the street as a toilet is not how we would like the town portrayed. "We needed to resolve the problem so that everyone in Newquay can benefit from the strong night-time economy." BBC News
- Late-night trains for revellers at bars, clubs and restaurants in Glasgow will be run by First Scotrail as part of its winter timetable. The trains will leave around midnight for Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire from December 10, allowing people to stay up to two hours later in the city. The move was welcomed by the council, police and businesses who said it would boost the night-time economy and help reduce the risk of violence as people queue for taxis. About 18 routes running out of Glasgow Central will benefit from later trains. The Herald
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