Parents will be able to drop their children off at school and head straight to the pub after a leading operator said yesterday it would be opening for business at 9am.
JD Wetherspoon, which has outlets thoughout the North-East, said nearly all of its 650 pubs would allow breakfast-time alcohol sales, seven days a week, once new legislation comes into force later this month.
But the chain set out to soothe fears that it would encourage heavier drinking, saying that the majority of early morning sales were expected to be breakfasts, coffees and other non-alcoholic drinks.
A spokesman said: "We believe that we are the only large pub company to open this early."
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