The drinking begins before the six leave their limousine

Emma, Vicki, Charelle, Vicki, Zoe and Theresa spill out of their rented limousine and onto Broad Street, Birmingham's busiest nightlife spot.

The champagne has been flowing in the back of their luxury car and the girls are determined the party will continue in some of the street's many bars and clubs.

The Licensing Act means that the night's drinking need not end until daylight, but what practical difference has it made to this group of revellers?

'A lot quieter'

Zoe said, if anything, Broad Street has become calmer since the change.

"I just think it's quieter. It's just a lot quieter. People spread their time out when they come out."

Theresa added: "(There's) more time to meet more people, I suppose.

"It's not necessarily a drinking thing for me, I don't like to get that drunk I can't remember what I've done the night before."

Although we're open longer we're not necessarily taking more money Craig Smith Assistant bar manager

Mike Ollie, manager for the Broad Street area, said he felt the changes had worked well.

"The street's a lot calmer into the early hours, I guess people are enjoying themselves an awful lot more and I am convinced it is down to the extension of drinking hours.

"It just gives people a little bit more liberty to enjoy what they're doing."

Craig Smith, assistant manager at Revolution, said he felt the new laws were a mixed blessing for his trade.

"Bars are actually more restricted than they were before the liberalised opening hours came into force.

"We now have to take a lot more care with the people that we're actually serving behind the bar and the people we let into our establishment.

'Very positive'

"So although we're open longer we're not necessarily taking more money... because now we're not allowed to serve people who have already had too much to drink.

"And also people aren't coming out and staying out for mammoth drinking sessions."

Paramedic Roy Sampson said his workload was similar to before the changes.

The night ended earlier than it might have done six months ago

"It's about the same. Normally from about two o'clock up until three o'clock, about half-past three, that's when the busiest time is."

Nobody from West Midlands Police was available for comment, but the street wardens, who are a recent addition to Broad Street, welcomed the effect the longer drinking hours have had on the area.

One of the wardens, Chris Northall, said: "It's very staggered. A lot of the people now are going to the different bars in the evening and it's been very positive.

"We work very closely with the police, the door supervisors, all the cameras that are actually situated on Broad Street, and also the taxi marshalls."

For less anecdotal evidence as to whether the Licensing Act has had an effect on alcohol-related disorder, there are at least a few more months to wait.

The British Crime Survey is not published until July, and will in any case only cover the first four months since the change to the law.

But the six drinkers with whom the BBC television team spent the evening enjoyed a trouble-free night out which ended earlier than it might have done under the previous legislation.