Speaking outside Exeter Crown Court, Judge Cottle called for tighter licensing laws to deal with incidents that have risen “both in terms of frequency and severity”.

He added: “Rightly or wrongly, I have adopted an approach which is as near to zero tolerance as is consistent with my duty to take into account everything that can be said on behalf of the defendant.”

Judge Cottle admitted his new approach meant he often had to pass a prison sentence “even if it meant the defendant losing a job and struggling to find work in the future.”

But the policy would still apply even if defendants were remorseful and of previously good character.

The judge explained that alcohol-fuelled violence has a greater impact on the public than many other crimes because people trying to enjoy a “civilised night out” have to witness the attacks.

“The effect is that quite a lot of people don’t go to town centres at certain times of the night on certain days because they are frightened to do so,” said Judge Cottle.

“I realised this was escalating into a problem, affecting the lives of ordinary people because they were scared by the prospect of what they would witness on a night out. We have to redress the balance.”

The comments were backed by Stephen Otter, Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police.

He said: “It is the cheap-drink, high-volume businesses that need to be controlled.

“We have to take our town centres back again and make them places that people can enjoy.”

Tory MP Hugo Swire said the problem of binge drinking had become “a national embarrassment”.

He added: “The 24-hour licensing laws were designed to stop this problem but have contributed to it.”

Tory MP Ann Widdecombe also welcomed the judge’s proposals as “a refreshing return to common sense”.

She added: “Perhaps this judge ought to be doing Gordon Brown’s job. Drunken violence has become a massive problem and has not properly been addressed, probably because the jails are too overcrowded.”

Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve said: “The judge’s comments are a shocking indictment of 10 years of Labour failure.

“They have run out of ideas, which makes them part of the problem. The Conservatives would put more police on the streets and tackle irresponsible retailers who sell to drunk and under-age customers.”

Lib Dem MP Andrew George was a lone voice questioning Judge Cottle’s approach. He said prison was not always the best option.

He explained: “The fear is that you turn people who have not been involved in crime before into ‘better’ criminals. They mix with people who take them on a downward spiral.”