Venues had been able to seek 24-hour drinking licences, seven days a week, since the law changed on 7 February.

The new licences do not come into force until November. Health experts and the police had feared they would lead to a rise in binge drinking.

But each of the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester has told the BBC it has not received a single application.

It is up to pubs, clubs and restaurants what service they want to provide to their customers Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations, which represents pub and club licensees, said many of its members thought the cost of 24-hour opening was too high.

He said: "You're never going to make enough money out of extra alcohol sales to pay the staff to keep you open.

"Another problem is the availability of staff to work through the night.

"The only people who will apply for 24-hour licensing will be the supermarkets, because many of them are open 24 hours a day anyway."

'More choice'

When the Licensing Act was introduced, the government said more flexible hours would stop drinkers spilling onto the streets all at once, but admitted few pubs would apply to remain open for 24 hours.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it encouraged licensees to apply for license extensions "at the earliest opportunity".

He added: "What we have always said is this is not about 24 hour drinking, it's about flexibility. We want people to have more choice about how they spend their leisure time.