Man, standing around a pub pole after work and talking with a freind whilst hoisting a pint is what it's all about. Having lived in London I can't imagine this, but then I would never have thought they'd ban smoking, either. What's a chap to do?

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You won't believe this, but there is a town in Massachusetts that had (maybe still does) this ordinance! It was Woburn (pronounced wu-burn), MA. I found this out many years ago when my boyfriend at the time and I went to a bar and had to wait for a seat! We actually had to take turns sitting (there was only one chair available) and share a drink in order to have one! You couldn't even order a drink when you were standing unless you could show the bartender a seat! You know, I have lived in Utah which has some pretty strange and complicated liquor laws, but that one took the cake!

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Based on one article there seems to be a problem with rowdy drinkers causing fights in Lancashire? Well, having lived in Kent, Surrey and West Yorkshire I can say that there are problems with rowdy drinkers causing fights in those three counties as well. Oh, and I went out in Warrington once and there was a bit of argey-bargey in a bar too.

I think the thing is that you drink a lot more quickly if you're standing up. This means you tend to drink more in less time and so get drunker, quicker. And there are always those who are out to pick a fight. If seating is available, most people tend to take advantage of it. Just as most people can get lashed and not get into a fight!

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Having lived & drunk all over the UK, I agree with the idea of all seating but it sounds impractical to force it on pubs.

Standing in pubs has been promoted by breweries for a while now. If you remove all horizontal surfaces from a drinking area, the punters can't put their beer down. They then drink more. Similarly, loud music discourages talking which means more drinking. More drinking means more money coming into the till. Sod the consequenses when these punters are turfed out onto the street.

I can't think of a worse place I would like to drink than a loud, standing only venue. I'd much rather sit and talk with friends in a qieter, clean environment. This isn't everyones idea of fun though - some people just want to get tanked up as cheaply & as quickly as possible.

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