by Elizabeth McMeekin
When bars are permitted to stay open for additional hours after midnight, alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and reported crimes can significantly increase, according to new research, which is the first of its kind in the UK.
The BMJ Public Health-published research, led by the University of Glasgow, assessed the impact of changes to bar and club licensed hours in two Scottish cities: Aberdeen and Glasgow.
The research was part of a larger study led by the University of Stirling, which also included collaborators from Glasgow Caledonian University, the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, the Health Board and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Late-night extensions of between one and three hours granted to 38 pubs in Aberdeen significantly increased reported crime and alcohol-related ambulance call-outs.
In Glasgow, after 10 nightclubs were granted a one-hour extension to 4 am from April 2019, no material impacts were found on these measures in this part of the study, though the researchers note that stakeholders reported negative impacts on services in other parts of the wider study.
The new research found that from March 2017 to October 2020 in Aberdeen, after 38 pubs and bars were granted permission to sell alcohol up to 3 am, there was a significant increase of 11·4% in alcohol-related ambulance call-outs on weekend nights. Additionally, there was an 8.5% increase in reported crimes in the same period.
Analysis also showed that peak times for alcohol-related ambulance callouts moved later in Aberdeen, from between midnight and 1 am, to between 1 am and 2 am, suggesting that the extended trading hours may have altered drinking patterns.
The impact on alcohol-related ambulance call-outs in Aberdeen was found to be significantly higher among men and those aged under 45 years.
The study team say the contrasting findings between the two cities may be explained by the relatively large number of venues affected in Aberdeen, the longer extension in hours granted to some venues or the type of premises granting the extra hours.
In Glasgow, only nightclubs taking specific safety measures were eligible for the extra hour.
Dr Md Nurnabi Sheikh, Research Associate at the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing, said: “This research is the first in the UK to look at the impact of later trading times on ambulance call-outs, and our findings in Aberdeen demonstrate a clear link between additional opening hours and increased negative outcomes.
“The significant negative impact on both alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and reported crimes in Aberdeen, where more pub and bar premises had longer extensions, highlights the need to consider both the number and types of venues that can operate extended opening times.”
Acute alcohol harms are particularly prevalent late at night, especially on weekends, when higher levels of intoxication can contribute to increased rates of injuries and violence.
In Scotland, between 2022 and 2023, there were more than 31,000 alcohol-specific hospital admissions.
In 2019, it was estimated that 16% of ambulance call-outs were alcohol-related, with the highest concentration of call-outs occurring between 9pm and 1am on weekends.
By contrast, reducing late-night trading hours has been shown in other countries to be associated with reductions in alcohol harms.
This is the first UK study to look at the impact of late-night trading on alcohol-related ambulance call-outs.
The study authors suggest their findings should be considered when designing both future national and regional licensing policies and regulations.
Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, of the University of Stirling, and Principal Investigator of the wider study, said: “Our study shows that local authorities need greater powers to control the number and type of venues that are allowed to open later at night because large-scale extensions will result in increased health harms and crimes.
“Whilst this part of the research didn’t find measurable impacts in Glasgow, local stakeholders there reported in interviews that the 4am extension in just 10 nightclubs put frontline services under severe strain.”
The research ‘The impact of later trading hours for bars and clubs on alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and crimes in Scotland: a controlled interrupted time series study’ is published in BMJ Public Health. The wider study, Evaluating Later and Expanded Premises Hours for Alcohol in the Night-time Economy (ELEPHANT), is funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme (NIHR129885) and led by the University of Stirling.
“The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
A full version of the paper can be found here once published: https://doi.org/10.136/bmjph-2025-003722