THE owner of a Huddersfield town centre pub is urging Kirklees Council not to impose new restrictions on pub operators – and help safeguard the future of the trade.

Emley-born Tony Brookes, who has The Head of Steam in St George’s Square, has written an open letter to council leader Clr Mehboob Khan and to the leaders of three other local authorities where his company has managed pubs.

They are in Newcastle, where Mr Brookes has five pubs, Gateshead and Durham. Copies of the letter are also going to local MPs, licensed trade bodies and the media.

The letter implores Kirklees and the other councils not to implement Early Morning Alcohol Restriction Orders and Late Night Levies which licensing authorities will be able to introduce from March and June, 2013, respectively.

Councils are being given the powers in a bid to curb binge drinking and related public order problems.

Early Morning Alcohol Restriction Orders will enable licensing authorities to restrict sale of alcohol at pubs and clubs in the whole or a part of their areas for any specified period between midnight and 6 am.

Late Night Levies will permit local councils to charge more for late-night licences to pay for additional policing.

But Mr Brookes said the proposals were “totally unfair and illogical”.

He said: “We all know that binge drinking and subsequent public disorder on the streets – as well as high hospital admissions – is primarily caused by very cheap, often very strong alcohol bought from the off-trade, particularly supermarkets.

“They are the cause of the problem; the public generally could not afford the cost of getting into that state just drinking in pubs, where prices are much higher. The problem is pre-loading on cheap supermarket booze at home in an unregulated environment before going out to the pubs and clubs.

“Any financial penalty aimed at cutting binge drinking at home and in public and public disorder on the streets and reduction in costs to the NHS, should therefore be targeted at supermarkets.”

Mr Brookes said most supermarkets did not sell alcohol after midnight – so they would not have to pay any Late Night Levies. Pubs would suffer and supermarkets would get off “scot-free”.

Mr Brookes said Early Morning Early Alcohol Restriction Orders would hit pubs which stay open late at night.

But he said: “They only tend to stay open late night because pub customers come out from home much later these days, mainly because they have spent the evening pre-loading with alcohol bought from supermarkets.

“So, again, pubs would suffer a loss of trade – and many would have to close – and supermarkets would get off scot-free. Again, this is totally unfair and illogical.”

Mr Brookes said the pub trade and the health lobby were “natural bedfellows” because pubs provided expensive and relatively weak alcoholic drink compared to supermarkets.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “The secondary legislation for Late Night Levies and Early Morning Alcohol Restriction Orders is yet to go through Parliament, so the final details are not known at this stage.

“Once these are available we will look into them, balancing the possible advantages of the new orders with our commitment to the Kirklees economy.

“Any decision on introducing the orders would be need to be made at a meeting of the full council”.