The majority of pubs have no intention of staying open for 24 hours, despite the liberalisation of licensing laws.

Punch Taverns said its publicans had no interest in opening around the clock. A survey of its 7,800 properties showed that fewer than 1% (0.67%) were considering applying for 24-hour opening.

Punch customer services director Francis Patton said there was a misconception that pubs would have free rein to open as long as they wanted to. "This is simply not the case. Twenty-four-hour opening is being shunned by the overwhelming majority of licensees," he said.

Punch's findings were backed up by a recent British Beer & Pub Association survey of 27,000 members, which found no respondents planning to open around the clock.

Media attention over the issue of 24-hour drinking has intensified in recent months following a campaign by the Daily Mail and senior police officers and politicians uniting to delay it.

But Clive Watson, director at the London-based Capital Pub Company, described recent media attention as a red herring. "It's difficult enough for us to get staff in to cover New Year's Eve, so the logistics of opening around the clock would be a nightmare," he said.