HUNDREDS of York pubs could be forced to close their doors this autumn unless they begin applying for new licences.

That was the stark warning to landlords from City of York Council's temporary new licensing boss, former police chief John Lacy.

Mr Lacy revealed that, while the authority anticipates getting more than 1,500 applications for a personal licence from across the city, only 21 have so far been lodged. There had also been only 19 out of a potential 760 applications for premises licences.

He warned that if all the applications arrived in the weeks before the August 6 deadline, the licensing department would go into "meltdown", and it would not be possible to process them all in time for November, when the new system comes on stream.

"We and other local authorities across the country fear they will be unable to cope with a late surge before the deadline," he said. He warned that without a new licence pubs, clubs, off-licences, hotels, guest houses, clubs and theatres would not be able to sell alcohol.

Many larger pub and hotel chains were using legal departments or solicitors to address the problem, he said. "However, it's the little independent pubs, hotels, guest houses and late-night refreshment houses which worry us."

Mr Lacy, who has agreed to fill a vacancy as York's licensing manager for three months to help ensure the 2003 Licensing Act is smoothly implemented, said he believed some licensees had simply pushed the matter aside, thinking they would delay submitting their applications until after Royal Ascot at York in June.

Addressing a meeting of York Licensed Victuallers' Association at the Winning Post, in Bishopthorpe Road, he said this would be too late.

If people applied now, there would be sufficient time for errors and omissions to be sorted out.

He told the Evening Press that he believed some licensees wrongly thought they only needed to apply for a new licence if they wanted to extend their opening hours, but this was not the case.

He said licensing officers would do everything possible to help applicants, and anyone wanting advice could phone 01904 551521 or 551517, while admission forms could be downloaded off the internet by logging on to www.york.gov.uk/licensing/index.html.

LVA secretary Alan Rowley said licensees were busy people and many had simply not yet got round to applying, but he agreed it was important they did so.

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, April 21, 2005