It’s a perennial problem - it’s the second weekend of the month, and you’ve only got £50 to last you till payday. Which would be fine if tomorrow wasn’t THE big night out you’ve been planning for ages. Everyone’s going to be there, and you’re not going to let a little thing like your overdraft limit stop you in your tracks.
So what do you do? Like any sensible person, you pre-load. A couple of bottles of terrible wine from the supermarket will only set you back a tenner. You can drink it at your mate’s house, in a nearby park if it’s sunny, or maybe in the queue for the club, and just like that, you’re sorted for the evening. (Until in your hammered state you decide to blow your remaining £30 for the month on a round of shots for some really nice strangers you’ve just met, but never mind).
But a cheeky pre-club trip to the off licence might become a thing of the past, thanks to a pilot scheme in London's Islington that maps areas that are high-risk for drink related emergencies - and then prevents nearby shops from selling alcohol.
The council has used computers to map the most high-risk areas in the borough, and has subsequently refused 13 licensing applications, and amended two others.
‘The night-time economy is important to Islington but excessive alcohol consumption can have repercussions for the wellbeing of the wider community and we have to strike a balance,' said Janet Burgess, Islington’s executive member for health and wellbeing. ‘Our database tool links public health with licensing objectives, helping us to protect our communities from harm.’
Areas affected included Old Street, Upper Street and Clerkenwell, and most notably Sainsburys had an application to sell alcohol from 8am-11pm at its store in Farringdon's St John Street refused after residents complained of pre-loading with cheap booze from nearby shops before going clubbing in Clerkenwell.
Neighbouring borough Camden has also adopted the initiative, which leaves just 29 London boroughs where it’s still acceptable to buy three extra-large bottles of lambrini from the supermarket and consume them on the bench opposite. Erm - sad times?
Follow Rebecca on Twitter @rebecca_hol
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.