PUBS and clubs are shunning round-the-clock drinking, with hardly any applications for 24-hour licences being made in the region.

Only a handful have been lodged in the North-East, with some councils saying they have yet to receive any.

Licensees had up until today to apply to convert old- style drinks licences into new ones under the 2004 Licensing Act - which becomes law in November - regardless of whether they wanted to opt for extended drinking hours.

A number of councils The Northern Echo contacted, including those in Chester-le-Street, Middlesbrough and Stockton, said they had not received any applications for 24-hour drinking.

Meanwhile, Newcastle City Council, which has among the highest number of licensed premises on its patch of any council in the region, said it had received only two.

Councillor Anita Lower, executive member for regeneration, said: "We haven't had the explosion in applications for 24-hour drinking which many people feared.

"I think that, given the circumstances, the majority of operators have acted in a responsible manner."

One of the region's biggest operators, the Ultimate Leisure chain, which has 31 pubs and clubs, including 14 in Newcastle and two each in Durham, Whitley Bay, South Shields and Sunderland, is seeking only an extra hour.

Mick Vaines, Stockton Borough Council's principal licensing officer, said most pubs and clubs were asking for limited extended drinking hours, but none wanted round-the-clock drinking.

He said: "In the High Street area in Stockton, we have some asking for 3am or 4am and one has asked for 6am, but these are isolated examples."

People could always apply for variations to their licences later, he said.

Sergeant Tim Robson, of Durham Police's licensing unit, based at Chester-le-Street, said there had only been only one application in the North Durham area for a 24-hour drinks licence.

He said the impact of the application, by the Durham City Snooker Club, in Claypath, Durham City, would be assessed before the force decided whether to object.

Snooker club owner Edward Rhodes said he hoped to cater for workers finishing their shifts in the early hours, such as restaurant, take-away and pub staff, who wanted somewhere to unwind.

He said: "I don't foresee people rushing around here, when everywhere else has closed, for a late drink."

* A limited number of councils are opening their doors today to process last-minute applications to convert to the new licences. These include Chester-le-Street district, Middlesbrough, Newcastle city and Scarborough borough councils.