A newspaper campaign to rid Halifax town centre of drink-fuelled yobs has received ministerial backing.

Sports minister Richard Caborn, who has responsibility for alcohol and entertainment licensing, met the local MPs and has promised to raise the matter with home secretary David Blunkett.

The Halifax Evening Courier, which launched the campaign to make the town centre safer, hopes Government pressure will be put on publicans to act more responsibly.

The paper launched a Win Back the Streets campaign after its own investigation found binge drinking had caused the number of assaults and brawls in the area to rocket.

It wants town centre pub and club owners to call a 'booze truce' by putting a stop to 'drink until you drop' offers.

More than 55 MPs have now signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament, backing the campaign to tackle the booze culture.

Richard Caborn told the Courier that he was seeking changes to laws which should make town centres safer by giving local authorities more power when objections were raised to licensing applications.

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