IT took years to put in place and faced no small opposition on the way, but now Worcester traders have branded the city centre's alcohol-free zone a failure.

Although police are pleased with overall results, some retailers insist that street-drinking and incidents of alcohol-fuelled violence and vandalism are rising.

This isn't the first time that the merits of the scheme - which has been in place since 1998 - have been questioned.

Three years ago, the same misgivings surfaced among city councillors who felt that it was affecting the people it's supposed to benefit, but missing those it was meant to stop.

We begged to differ then, and the concern being expressed by retailers today doesn't change the view.

During the past five years, we've heard virtually no one claiming how little it has changed the atmosphere for shoppers and visitors.

On the contrary, it has made the city a more pleasant place.

To help tackle those problems which do exist, the Government is planning to distribute accurate, local crime and disorder data to help pinpoint alcohol-related trouble spots. It must be used.

More than that, however, is the plight of the vagrants and drinkers themselves.

What concerned us from the outset, and still concerns us, is that the purge has pushed many people with drink problems in to streets outside the alcohol-free zone.

Theirs is a very serious social problem which still needs to be addressed. That's where the next effort needs to be focussed.