Hundreds of pub and restaurant jobs will come under threat across Scotland as legislation tightens around personal licence holders.
Licensing experts have spoken out as a deadline looms for licensees to sit statutory training by the end of the summer.
Fewer than 2,000 of the country’s 30,000-plus licence holders have complied with 2009 legislation that will see many premises shut, come November.
The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 came into force in 2009 and landlords operating in that year must go through refresher training by the end of August.
Unlicensed managers could lose their jobs while other workers’ posts would also be at risk and experts also fear hundreds of pubs, restaurants and small shops will be trading illegally once the deadline passes.
The chief of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association has warned the country faces “chaos” when the papers are not received.
Paul Waterson told The Courier: “It is chaos at the moment. We estimated when this legislation came in that there were around 40,000 licence holders across the country. Because of closures, the economy and people just giving it up, a conservative estimate would be 25,000-30,000.
“Of those, we estimate that 1,500 personal licence holders have returned their paperwork. Councils just don’t have the manpower or time to process that many applications and places will have to shut.
“When police come in to a pub and aren’t shown the up-to-date licences that will bring it home.”
Jack Cummins, a licensing lawyer for major trade operators, said the situation is desperate in areas which rely on tourism.
He added that the number of visitors to smaller towns will drop if rural pubs and eateries do not meet the August deadline.
He said: “These figures show a worrying trend. Training providers and the licensing board will be overwhelmed with notifications.
“Rural and smaller pubs have been suffering badly but this is another crisis they may have to face.
“If a pub or shop isn’t open then it’s likely it will contribute to a declining economy in these towns in a place like Angus.”