What time can you buy alcohol?
IT'S great to enjoy a tipple with family, friends or just on your own.
But can you buy alcohol at any time of the day? Here's what the law says...
What time can you buy alcohol in the UK?
England and Wales
In England and Wales, the pubs generally open 11am and close at 11pm, with some staying open later.
By law, one can buy and consume alcohol till 11pm.
If an establishment lets people drink past this time, then they should have an extension licence, which permits them to serve alcohol after these hours.
Officials decided to ease pressure on pubs that serve alcohol after such hours.
This is because they were afraid that this time constraint was making people binge drink even more, as they hurry up to finish their drinks by the allowed time.
Meanwhile, most supermarkets in England and Wales are able to sell alcohol for the duration of the time they are open to the public.
There are some places, such as 24-hour supermarkets, where you can buy alcohol 24 hours a day.
All retailers, including superstores, supermarkets, convenience stores, garages, delivery services etc. can currently sell alcohol at the usual times permitted by their licences.
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Scotland
In Scotland alcohol can be sold between the hours of 10am and 10pm.
Pubs and clubs are different and can stay open until the early hours if they are granted a licence.
There are no 24-hour alcohol sellers in Scotland, unlike in England and Wales.
What time can you buy alcohol on a Sunday?
In Scotland, you used to have to wait until 12.30pm on Sundays before buying alcohol, rather than 10am as the rest of the week.
Now, the earliest time to buy alcohol is in line with England and Wales - 10am.
Trading laws in England and Wales restrict supermarket opening for 24 hours, meaning most stores over 3,000 square feet can only open for a maximum of six continuous hours on Sundays.
This means the vast majority of stores opening hours on Sunday in England and Wales will be between 10am-4pm.
Smaller stores, such as off-licences, can sell alcohol from 10am till closing, rather than from 8am as normally permitted on other days of the week.
Is it illegal to drink in public?
According to , over 18s are allowed to drink in public except in areas where Public Space Protection Orders are in place.
The website states: "A Public Space Protection Order, or PSPO, is a special decree that allows police to stop people from drinking in a certain area.
"PSPOs give police officers special powers to order a person to stop drinking alcohol in public and confiscate it from them."
"Even outside of these areas, the police can take away alcohol or move on under 18s if they have been drinking," they add.
"The police can also fine or arrest under 18s drinking in public places."
Transport for London (TfL) prohibits its travellers from drinking on any of the services that they offer such as buses, trams, tubes and DLR services.
Meanwhile areas surrounding sporting events or stadiums, such as around Wembley Stadium, banned drinking on match days.
When there is an event at Wembley Stadium, no supermarket or small shop can sell alcohol and none can be consumed in public.
Alcohol can be bought and consumed from inside the event venue.