Norwich city centre CCTV street violence images released

CCTV footage of street violence has been released in an attempt to show the problems caused by early-morning drinking.

The pictures were shown to councillors considering proposals to restrict the sale of alcohol in Norwich city centre.

Norfolk Police proposed a ban on the sale of alcohol from 03:00, saying it could play a major part in cutting crime and violent disorder.

They said since 2005, when pubs and clubs were allowed to open longer, there had been a 210% increase in violent crime in Norwich between 03:00 and 06:00.

Det Supt Paul Sandford said early-morning drinking was causing "significant problems".

Toby Middleton, operations manager for clubs including Mercy and Rocco's, said it would be seen as a "bully-boy tactic".

"The night time economy is suffering and this is just going to make the smaller business suffer [more] and have to close," he said.

Matt Precey reports: