DRINKERS in Watford may soon be able to visit the pub at 8am and carry on drinking until the early hours of the following morning if an application for extended hours at a town centre pub is granted.

O'Neill's pub in The Parade, Watford is the town's first venue to apply for the late night license under new 24-hour drinking laws.

If granted the pub will open from 8am to midnight Mondays to Wednesdays, 8am to 2am Thursdays to Saturdays and 8am to 11.30pm on Sundays.

The pub is the first in Watford to apply for the extended opening hours since the new licensing laws came into effect on February 7.

Under the Licensing Act 2003 councils and not local magistrates are responsible for granting licenses.

The new legislation also gives local residents the chance to comment on proposals for new pubs and clubs or late night drinking.

Kismet kebab shop in The Parade, Watford has also applied for extended hours. They are hoping to change their trading hours so that they are open until 3.30am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays instead of 1am.

Under the new law anywhere that sells alcohol, offers entertainment to the public or provides hot food and drink after 11pm will need to apply for a new licence. All applications must be made by August 6, 2005.

Prospective licensees can apply for a premier licence, a club premises certificate, a private members' club licence, or a personal licence to sell alcohol.

Anyone who applies for a premises licence or a club licence for the first time, or who wants to vary their operations in any way, will have to advertise it on the premises and in a local newspaper or circular.

Local residents will then have 28 days to write to Watford Borough Council with any concerns they may have. From November local residents will also be able to ask the council to review any licence that is causing problems.

At the time of going to press a spokesman for O'Neills was unavailable for comment.