Almost half of pubs are now charging more than a fiver for a pint of lager as drinkers are stung by ever increasing costs.
The price of a pint has swelled to cost between £5 and £5.99 at nearly a third of inns (32%), while one in ten taverns are selling a pint of lager for between £6 to £6.99.
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Four in ten pubs are asking around the national average of £4.58 and charging between £4 and £4.99.
In 2008, during the last recession the price of a pint, was £2.30.
Since then prices have kept climbing.
Only 16 per cent of British boozers sell pints for under £4 and just 2 per cent charge cheap and cheerful £2 to £2.99 for a pint.
Justine Lorriman, owner of the Royal Dyche in Burnley, Lancashire, charges around £3.80 for a pint of lager but said that higher costs would mean her prices would have to rise by 10p next year.
She said: “It’s always a worry that you’re going to lose that trade – and if you don’t keep your regular trade, those are your billpayers. It’s not a case of making any more money – we’re making less money but working twice as hard.”
British Beer & Pub Association chief Emma McClarkin said that brewers were under pressure fromrampant inflation and an increased overall tax bill of £225million in duty.
“Our sector needs the Government to bring down inflation and rule out any further increases in beer duty so our brewers and pubs can thrive and consumers can continue to enjoy affordable beer.”
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Ms McClarkin added: “Pubs and brewers have faced huge cost increases across their supply chains in the last few years and despite this, the cost of beer has only increased by 12 per cent [in the past year] – half the rate of other consumer goods that have risen on average 24 per cent.
“As the costs of doing business mount and most notably beer duty is put up by over 10%, brewers have had no choice but to increase prices to stay in business.”
Earlier this week pub chain Stonegate was under fire after it emerged its pubs hike prices by as much as 60p on drinks during “peak times”.
The so-called “dynamic pricing” is in operation at the weekend and during busy 5pm to 7pm peak times during the week.
