Police will not tolerate alcohol-related disorder in the area -- as new licensing laws to allow pubs to open for longer come into force.

Keighley officers want to crack down on binge drinkers and violent drunks as part of the Government's Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign.

A Keighley police spokesman said the new licensing law made the campaign particularly relevant.

"Increased officer numbers will be actively targeting people involved in alcohol-related disorder, violent assaults and public drunkenness," he said.

"Those who sell alcohol to people under age, as well as to those who are already drunk, can also expect to face tougher penalties."

Fiona Page, for Airedale Hospital, said they did not automatically expect to receive more casualties from alcohol-fuelled violence.

However, she added that they monitored the numbers and types of injuries coming to Accident and Emergency so they could respond quickly to any changes.

The manager of the Livery Rooms pub in North Street, Keighley, rejected the idea that longer pub opening hours could cause more anti-social behaviour,

John Clayton, 33, said: "I can't see it changing much. People only have an amount of money to spend, so I don't think it's going to alter the amount they drink.

"I think the old licensing law was very archaic -- telling people when they could and could not drink.

"Now, people will have the same amount of beer but they're not going to get drunk because they won't be so rushed."

The Livery Rooms will now open from 9am till midnight, Sunday to Thursday, and 9am till 1pm Friday and Saturday.

Mr Clayton said 60 per cent of alcohol this Christmas would be bought in supermarkets rather than pubs.

"There's nothing to stop you from going down to the supermarket, buying drink, then sitting in a car park and getting slaughtered there," he said.

He added fears that many pubs would try to stay open for 24 hours were groundless. "I only know of one pub that's applied for a 24-hour licence and that's near Burnley," he said.

Shoppers in the Airedale Centre also said they were not worried by the possible effects of the new law.

Alan Grange, 46, a businessman who lives in West Lane, said: "I think people have exaggerated the kind of problems we could have. I understand why people have got nervous, but really I don't think this changes anything. With the old system, yobs who wanted to get drunk after chucking out time just made sure they'd stocked up on booze from the supermarket."

He said he owned property in Halifax, next door to a pub which would open later, but did not think this would cause more damage or disruption.

"People are concerned about it now but it will all die down in a bit," he said.

"It will be business as usual."

Aftab Saleem, 23, from Highfield, agreed and said the new law would make little difference to peoples' behaviour.

"People who get drunk all the time anyway will keep doing it. People who don't get drunk will stay the same," he said. "I don't go down the town centre much at night so it won't affect me."

"Some people are always wanting to get hammered then start a fight. That's just the way it goes," he added.