Police are objecting to a Watford kebab shop’s renewed bid for extra opening hours on the grounds that it could lead to more drunken violence in the town centre.

Watford Town Kebabs, in The Parade, has applied to Watford Borough Council extend its open hours over the coming weekend.

The kebab shop’s owner, Ali Taze, wants to push back its closing time from 2.30am to 3.15am on Saturday and from midnight to 3.15pm on the Sunday 22.

However Hertfordshire Constabulary has said the move could exacerbate an already difficult situation in the town centre.

In a letter to the council, Police Sergeant Marie White, said there had been an increase in trouble in the town centre in recent weeks, culminating in the closure and review of another takeaway shop.

She said: "Police officers who normally patrol the town centre at night have highlighted an increase in drunken and violent behaviour and an increase in the number of arrests.

"As a result of the recent disorder at the above mentioned venue, the resulting arrests led to a great deal of police resources being diverted from the town centre in order to deal with prisoners. This had the knock on effect of leaving the town centre under resourced."

Police Sergeant White said that even though the kebab shop did not sell alcohol, if it were allowed to stay open longer it would encourage drunk people to hang around the town and increase the chance of trouble breaking out.

She added: "It is strongly felt that the incidents of disorder and violent crime will rise more sharply and that any extension beyond the hours already permitted will further increase the possibility of this type of crime."

"It is apparent that members of the public, many of whom are under the influence of alcohol, congregating in the town centre, can only fuel the potential for violent crime and disorder."

Mr Taze’s bid for a temporary extension of opening hours comes after he has had two similar applications rejected by Watford Borough Council in the last year.

In December the borough’s licensing sub committee rejected an application for the takeaway to open longer over the Christmas and New Year period and in February an application was declined for a general extension of opening hours.

In both cases the applications were objected to by police on public order grounds.

Councillors on Watford Borough Council’s licensing sub committee are due to rule of the current Watford Town Kebab application tomorrow.