Late night refreshment permissions allow for the provision of hot food or drink to the public, for consumption on or off the premises, between 11pm and 5am or the supply of hot food or hot drink to any persons between those hours on or from premises to which the public has access. This is however not restricted to fast food outlets, and can be granted to any premises type (for example, restaurants, bars and pubs). Although a licence is needed for sales between 11pm and 5am, it does not necessarily mean that a premises will have a licence for the whole of that period or that, if it did, it would necessarily operate those hours.
The Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Statistical Bulletin, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, reported there were an estimated 67,500 premises licences with late night refreshment permissions in England and Wales as of 31 March 2007, and an estimated 76,800 premises licences with late night refreshment permissions in England and Wales as of 31 March 2008.
In Essex there were 1,207 premises licences with late night refreshment as of 31 March 2007 (this excludes, Braintree, Brentwood, Maldon and Thurrock whom did not respond to this question) and 1,498 premises licences with late night refreshment as of 31 March 2008 (this excludes Braintree, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock who did not answer).
Southend-on-Sea had 279 premises licences with late night refreshment as of 31 March 2007. They did not respond to this question in 2008.