LONDON, July 23 (UPI) -- Thousands of British pubs, wine bars and restaurants may be closed if chaos in the alcohol licensing laws is not resolved, the Times of London reports.
There are only two weeks to go until the deadline for new license applications, but fewer than half of all licensed premises in England and Wales have submitted the necessary paper work to local authorities, the Times said.
The Times quotes the latest edition of Caterer and Hotelkeeper as saying many bars and restaurants will be unable to serve alcohol and thousands of businesses will be operating illegally unless owners apply for the licenses.
Premises must have valid new licenses by Nov. 24, the date scheduled for the system changeover.
Under the changes, 160,000 current licensees in England and Wales must apply for a new-style license by Aug. 6 to guarantee that they will be granted a right to their existing hours of opening, the Times said. Those applying after that will be treated as a new applicant and there is no guarantee that a licence will be awarded or that it will have the same conditions.
