The average price of a pint could hit £5 by Christmas.
The Office for National Statistics says the typical bill in UK pubs is already an eye-watering £4.62. The cost of a cold one has rocketed by nearly 10% since the start of the year. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt vowed drinkers would get a better deal after his duty cut on draught beer came into force in August.
But rocketing energy bills and price hikes for ingredients have ramped up costs. Brits pay around 40p more in tax on a tipple compared to those in European countries like Germany and Spain. Jon Luis, landlord of the Coach and Horses in Newport, Essex, said rising bills have already forced him to charge more than £5 for all his draught beers.
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He said: “We seem to have continuous increases – even though we had this duty relief from the Government. Every day we are fighting a battle with the supermarkets being able to put it out so much cheaper.” George Greenway, boss of the Tamworth Tap, Staffordshire, added: “Costs are just that high we can’t absorb them and they’re being passed down.”
The Campaign for Real Ale has urged the Chancellor to throw inns a lifeline in his forthcoming autumn statement. It said more than 750 pubs shut in the first six months of 2023 – equivalent to 30 closures a week.
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