Those such as Monty Valentine (Letters, February 7) who favour the proposed liberalisation of the licensing law tend to limit the issue to one of disturbance at closing time.

In fact, as anyone who lives near licensed premises will attest, the disturbance lasts for the duration of opening hours.

Modern licensed premises tend to be noisy all the time they are open.

Almost all in this part of Brighton, for example, are equipped with excessively loud sound systems, audible up to 100 yards away.

In the summer, many have doors and windows wide open so the high-decibel racket from within is broadcast over a wide area.

Few managements seem to show much concern for the quality of life of their neighbours.

In addition to the thumping bass, there is the noise from customers arriving, leaving or hanging about outside the premises, from the revving of their cars, from altercations with door staff, from the inevitable drunken or antisocial behaviour in the vicinity, and so on.

The longer premises are permitted to remain open, the longer all this disturbance will continue.

One would not object to extended hours if one felt an adequate apparatus was in place to deal with this problem first.

On the contrary, the present system of control seems to favour the licensee. Brighton and Hove City Council operates noise patrols on only two nights a week and, even when they are involved, it can take years to get a nuisance abated. Police presence in most inner-city areas is woefully inadequate.

In addition, I feel the whole drink culture needs addressing before liberalisation is contemplated. Our city and town centres are increasingly turned over to a club-and-pub scene that excludes a large proportion of the population and makes the night-time streets intimidating and unpleasant.

Mr Valentine makes the point that if one "chooses to live in the middle of the major entertainment centre of the South East, one cannot expect tranquillity". That may be true but, during the ten years

I have lived here, the level of noise and violence has dramatically increased, while what was formerly largely restricted to two nights of the week now occurs over all seven.

There is a limit to how far this process can go before the disadvantages of city-centre life start to outweigh the advantages. The Government is allegedly committed to revitalising inner cities.

A first step might be to listen more to the views of those who actually live there and less to the brewers and others with vested interests.

-Graham Chainey, Marine Parade, Brighton