World Cup final: Police urged to overlook early pub sales

Councils and police are being urged to ignore instances of pubs serving alcohol outside of their usual Sunday hours ahead of the World Cup final.

In Cornwall, authorities have already announced they will not take enforcement action for early trade.

It comes after pubs called for licensing laws to be relaxed to allow venues to serve drinks from 10:00 BST ahead of the match.

Government called for "rapid" action from councils.

When pubs can sell alcohol depends on each venue's licence. Most are likely to be unable to serve alcoholic drinks until 11:00, with some being restricted until midday, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

Temporary blanket tweaks to licensing laws that apply in England and Wales for special events have to be approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords under the Licensing Act 2003.

This has been done in the past ahead of big celebrations such as the Platinum Jubilee and the Euro 2020 final.

How to watch the Women's World Cup final

The Women's World Cup final between England and Spain on Sunday will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 10am.

BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will have radio commentary as both sides aim to win their first World Cup.

The BBC Sport website and app will provide live text commentary.

• Get the latest updates on the Women's World Cup

Individual pubs can apply for a temporary event notice (TEN) to vary their hours - although that requires five working days to process, so pubs would have had to have applied by last Friday.

However, as Parliament is currently in recess, the government is not planning to recall MPs to make the change ahead of the England v Spain final.

Communities Secretary Michael Gove instead wrote to council leaders on Thursday calling on them to speed up applications for these temporary notices.

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If any individual venues had waited until the day of the semi-final to apply for a special exemption to serve alcohol earlier, it would likely have been too late to gain permission for Sunday's final.

Cornwall Council and Cornwall and Devon Police have taken the decision that they will not be enforcing licence conditions for pubs who open earlier than they would usually be allowed.

Linda Taylor, leader of Cornwall Council, said: "Although it is too late to issue licences to allow our pubs and clubs to open, this is a sensible way forward, ensuring their businesses can benefit from the occasion, and so people can come together to enjoy the match together. I am delighted the police are supporting this move as well."

Conservative MP Sir Michael Fabricant has also suggested the police force in his constituency "turn a blind eye" to any pubs opening early.

In a letter to Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Chris Noble and Staffordshire police and fire commissioner Ben Adams, the Lichfield MP wrote: "As you know, the Women's World Cup Final will be held at 11:00 BST on Sunday.

"I think it would be a marvellous gesture if pubs could be allowed to open early and, although this would be contrary to the law, the police might turn a blind eye on this one occasion only."

The Home Office has also reportedly written to police chiefs encouraging them to work with councils to ensure as many venues as possible can open.

The BBPA, which represents more than 20,000 pubs, told the BBC it did not believe many pubs would have applied for the temporary notice for the big match.

Its chief executive Emma McClarkin said it hoped that other councils would follow Cornwall's lead.

"[This] is the exact type of flexibility that councils can provide and what the government so helpfully encouraged."

'Carnival atmosphere'

Clive Watson, chair of the City Pub Company, said that it was expecting "brisk trade" and "a carnival atmosphere" across its 43 pubs if England win. Most of its pubs have a licence to serve alcohol from 12:00.

Many of the chain's venues will be open from 10:30 on Sunday.

"This is an historic sporting event for England. It's not just about pubs selling more pints - it's bringing everyone together to cheer the Lionesses on."

The World Cup final is already expected to bring a £41m boost to the hospitality sector across the UK, according to the industry trade body.

Crowds celebrated the Lionesses' victory over the Matildas on Wednesday in Wembley

UK Hospitality estimates that an extra one million people will be drawn into pubs, bars and restaurants in the hopes of seeing a win for the Lionesses.

UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said many people wanted to come out for breakfast or brunch to get ready for this historic match.

"Demand from fans has been exceptional", she added, with pub bookings filling "rapidly".

The pub chain Young's, which has more than 200 venues across the country, said that most would be opening by 10:30 ahead of the match at 11:00.

For those that can't serve alcohol before 12:00, they will be serving tea, coffee and a breakfast menu.

Football fan zones in London have already sold out in anticipation of the Lionesses' match.

Boxpark said 2,500 tickets were sold in just eight minutes across their sites in Shoreditch, Wembley and Croydon after the team confirmed its place at the final.

If England do win, the government has said there are "no plans" for an extra bank holiday.