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Britain is failing to tackle its "culture of alcohol abuse", according to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dr Rowen Williams spoke out amid reports that the prime minister, Gordon Brown, is set to declare the move to 24-hour drinking a success.

The measure, introduced under his predecessor Tony Blair, has been widely criticised for fuelling binge-drinking.

And Dr Williams has added his voice, warning that 24-hour drinking was just the "tip of the iceberg".

"I would be interested to see why anyone should think of it as a success," he said. "I think it has had an effect of making less safe and less civil our public space in many, many contexts, including Canterbury."

"There is a whole culture of alcohol abuse which this country has failed to tackle and the 24-hour thing is just the tip of the iceberg," Dr Williams added. "It is not that I am singling it out as the worst bit of the field, it is just that it is one of the more obviously presenting factors."

Critics of 24-hour drinking argue that making alcohol more easily available will increase the number of people abusing it and eventually requiring alcohol treatment.

Article published on 01/02/2008 by DryOutNow.com

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