Coliseum, the owner of the Sports Cafe chain of bars, has become the first licensed operator in the UK to operate with a 24-hour licence.

The 24-hour licence will run for the duration of the Rugby World Cup, taking place in Sydney, Australia, from 10 October to 22 November.

Coliseum, which plans to increase its number of Sports Cafes from three to eight by April 2004, hopes that the ruling will serve as a test case for future 24-hour licensing proposals throughout the UK.

The licence was awarded at Horseferry Magistrates’ Court in London.