Reading Borough Council are to set up a Music Licencing Committee to police music in town centre pubs and clubs. Music will have to be submitted to the scrutiny panel before being played or the venue could face heavy fines or closure. Labour councillors are convinced that it is the music causing the violence and it is nothing to do with the amount of bars that they have allowed to open with inadequate policing over the last 10 years. Tony Page, Chair of both the Ethnic Minorities Forum and the Safer Reading Campaign who will now be in charge of vetting music told us: "I-I'm afraid music in the modern idiom, is too repetitive for my tastes. Although the rhythm has a certain, ah, hypnotic quality."

Songs with lyrics about violence or drinking set to be banned. The Clash's 'White Riot', Britney Spear's 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' and Chumbawumba's 'Tubthumping' join the banned list, whilst anyone caught playing D:Ream's 'Things can only get better' will receive a massive fine from the Labour controlled authority for reminding people that things clearly haven't.

The Reading Festival line up will also go before the Music Committee's scrutiny panel for approval and bands risk joining the already extensive list of groups forbidden to play there which includes: The Killers, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead, Death Cab for Cutie, Foo Fighters, Funeral for a Friend, Guns n' Roses, Jimmy Eat World, The Kills, Megadeath, My Chemical Romance, New Model Army, Porno for Pyros and Velvet Revolver whilst the Butthole Surfers will be prevented from leaving Reading Station if they dare show up in the town.

However, music in The Retreat will be exempt from these orders as its jukebox has been listed by English Heritage as a scheduled ancient monument.