PUBS have a special place in the British psyche. For hundreds of years they have been a part of our culture - for some they are part of daily life, for others, places to be avoided.

But they have been around for a long time.

Take The Northwick Arms, in Worcester, for example. The Northwick was built at a time when pubs were places men went to drink, smoke and talk. And very little else.

Located in the middle of a residential area it may have been a sore temptation for the local workers - but it was never a nuisance.

Of course, times change. Pubs - still no less part of a community - change too. They have long-since lost their all-male atmosphere and are now places of entertainment, if not quite for all the family, but certainly for a much wider age range.

To survive in a world of choice, landlords must diversify. Simply serving beer is no longer enough. Live bands and karaoke nights are all part of the game when it comes to putting bums on seats.

But here, however, lies the problem. As an extra way to get customers through the door, The Northwick applied for a late drinking licence - ranging from midnight to 1am.

But this is an older pub in a residential neighbourhood. People living nearby already put up with enough.

Last night's decision by the city council to allow a limited extension to the pub's opening hours was the wrong one.