SKIPTON'S Commercial Inn has become the area's first pub to have its opening hours extended under the new licensing rules.

The landlord of the pub Paul Anthony Mills applied to vary his opening times under the Licensing Act 2003.

The decision had to be made by members of Craven District Council licensing and appeals sub-committee after more than 40 letters of objection came in from people living in the vicinity of the Water Street pub.

But after hearing evidence from the police, residents and Mr Mills, the committee granted an extension to its hours, although they were not the exact hours applied for.

The pub will now be able to serve its customers between 10am and 11.30pm Monday to Thursday and Sundays, and from 10am until 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Over Bank Holiday weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday), Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and 10 other occasional dates at the licensee's discretion, the opening hours will be 10am until 1am.

However, regulated entertainment cannot be put on after midnight and Mr Mills withdrew a request to put on live music from his application.

The doors and windows of the pub are to be closed from 10.30pm to prevent nuisance to the public.

There will be a 30-minute "winding down" period and signs have to be put up in the pub asking customers to be quiet when leaving the pub and no drinking outside the premises.

Objections to the application came in from residents living on St Stephen's Close, Westgate, Spindle Mill, Water Street, Park Avenue, Coach Street and Watson's Houses.

Their fears included noise and litter pollution, increased disorderly conduct such as urinating and shouting in the street, damage and also concerns that the police would struggle to deal with late night pub drinkers and those leaving Bliss.

Mr Mills, who has been the licensee at the Commercial for nine years, said his customers ranged in age from between 25 to 90.

He explained: "My customers would like to be able to drink for longer in my pub or in another pub because at the moment the only option they have got is a nightclub."

Mr Mills said extending the opening hours would not mean people would be drinking from 10am until the early hours of the morning. Instead he predicted drinkers would start coming out at different times so more people could be catered for.

John Lavin, from Enterprise Inns, who was representing Mr Mills, said he was a responsible landlord and would continue to run his pub, with extended hours, in the same way he had always done.

Just under a third of licensees across Craven have applied for new licences with only three weeks to go until the August 6 deadline.

Every licensee of a business which sells alcohol, puts on entertainment or serves hot food after 11pm must submit applications, but so far only 31 per cent have done so.

The council is bracing itself for a wave of last minute applications.

Licensees who miss the August deadline will have to make full applications before the regulations take effect on Thursday November 24.

o Chief Inspector Chris Chelton was asked at a recent Craven District Council meeting whether he thought the new licensing act would bring problems with anti-social behaviour if pubs were allowed to stay open longer.

He responded by saying the police would look at the applications for extension of hours on a pub-by-pub basis and raise objections where necessary.

He added that Bliss had indicated it would be applying for a 4am licence on a Friday and Saturday night.

The police chief said this could create problems as his staff patterns were currently geared towards a 3am finish.