Fears that Colchester could become a 24-hour drinking "Armageddon" under new booze laws evaporated after just one pub tried to take advantage of longer opening.

Council licensing chiefs were braced for a flood of applications on day one of the new rule change yesterday.

But Colchester Council received just one - and that was sent back because it wasn't on the official form.

Licensing manager Simon Harvey said: "We thought we would either get swamped or just get one. In the end we got one, which was a bit of an anti-climax.

"I don't think the Armageddon scenario is going to materialise."

Published Wednesday, February 9, 2005