Bradford could soon have seven 24-hour superstores selling booze at all hours of the day and night.

The news comes just days after one of them, Tesco's Brighouse store, was controversially granted a 24-hour off licence by Calderdale Council under new Government licensing legislation.

Today Asda admitted it had made licensing applications at its three largest Bradford stores in Rooley Lane, Shipley and Pudsey.

Tesco has done the same for its other three premises in the district at Canal Road, Ilkley and Buttershaw. If approved all the new licences would operate from November.

A spokesman for Asda said: "At the moment, if a nurse who finishes her shift at 11pm does her weekly shopping and wants to buy alcohol, she would have to come back during licensing hours.

"We are applying for licences that match our store hours, because customers have told us that is what they want - we have customer focus groups on a weekly basis."

He added: "We have briefed all our staff that if someone is unfortunate enough to look under 21 and does not have identification we would not serve them. In the same way, if someone is drunk and disorderly we would not serve them."

Tesco gave the same reasons for applying but said its Bradford stores had been specially chosen as 24-hour alcohol pilot schemes.

The Tesco spokesman said there was no intention to open more stores for 24 hours to make the most of the licensing changes. "We are bringing licensing hours in line with store hours, not vice versa."

Bradford Councillor Kevin Warnes (Green, Shipley) says he intends to object to Asda's plans in his ward: "Our group has opposed all such applications in residential areas on the grounds that any extension is likely to lead to problems like minor disorder. We don't see the need for this, we think there is plenty of time to drink in pubs or buy alcohol from Asda as it stands."

However Inspector Steve Baker, city centre unit inspector for Bradford police, said: "In general police are not particularly against this.

"The whole idea of the new licensing laws is to allow people to get what they want, when they want, without rushing. If you can spread this out over a period people might not get as drunk or cause trouble.

"It is the same with supermarkets. I cannot see someone buying a bottle of wine at 3am being any more of a problem than at 9pm, but we will have to wait and see after a few months."

An independent survey for The Grocer magazine today found 85 per cent of people questioned said supermarkets selling alcohol 24 hours a day would not encourage them to drink more.

Nationally, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's have applied for 24-hour licences at a combined total of about 450 stores.

New licensing laws which come into force in November give all licensed premises the right to apply for extended opening hours - and even 24 hour opening.