Do bar managers and restaurateurs have a moral duty to stop customers from binge drinking?
No. We have a duty to make sure people are drinking in moderation on our premises. We are never going to be able to stop people binge drinking. It's something the English do.
Oliver Brown, general manager, Colonnade hotel, west London
The word 'moral' is a difficult one, because you run a pub, not a church - so I don't think pub operators can be seen as moralisers. But we back responsible drinking in a responsibly run pub, and binge drinking doesn't do the industry, individual pub operators or customers any favours whatsoever.
Tim Martin, chairman, JD Wetherspoon
Yes, and I think the responsibility for it lies squarely with us. We have trained the customers to do this by doing offers and happy hours and trying to get them in earlier. Morally we shouldn't have started it. Pub owners don't get much midweek trade, so the whole style of operation is geared to the weekend youngster market getting completely blottoed.
Matt Jackson, owner, the Water Witch, Lancaster
We do have a moral obligation. We do it here and at Blue Bar Café by not having happy hours, not having two-for-one offers and not offering our drinks in jugs.
Che Devlin, restaurant manager, the Atrium, Edinburgh
If someone has been drinking too much we have a duty to stop serving them, but it's a fine line between that and people choosing how much they want to drink.
Justin Huber, general manager, Fuller's Hotels