THE AVERAGE price of a pint is set to hit £5 for the first time in weeks, as the 10 cheapest pints in the UK are revealed.
Drinkers across the UK will soon be forking out £5.01 on average for a pint, as new Budget changes kick in next month.
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That’s a 21p rise from current prices, and landlords say they have no choice but to pass on the pain.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) warns the spike comes after a series of hammer blows to the pub sector, including a minimum wage hike, higher National Insurance bills for employers, and a reduction in business rates relief from 75 per cent down to just 40 per cent.
It means pubs are facing £650 million in extra costs and regulators are being left to pick up the tab.
BBPA bosses Emma McClarkin said: “No one wants to see the cost of an average pint increase by a further 21p and break the £5 average pint barrier.
“It’s more urgent than ever that the Government looks at ways to reduce the costs of doing business so we can keep pubs open and make sure the price of pint remains affordable.”
The price pressure is piling on even after the Chancellor announced a penny of a pint by lowering draught beer duty, but publicans say that saving is wiped out by the soaring cost of running a pub.
While prices are rising across the board, not all pints are the same.
Britain’s 10 cheapest pints
- Tennent’s topped the list at an average of just £4.02.
- Carlin follows at £4.26, just ahead of Carlsberg at £4.32. Greene King IPA comes in at £4.36, with Budweiser close behind at £4.37.
- Foster’s lands at £4.39, followed by Wainwright at £4.47 and Hobgoblin at £4.49.
- Rounding out the top ten are Coors Light at £4.56 and Abbot Ale at £4.60.
Despite Tennent’s being the cheapest pint on average, Scotland isn’t the cheapest place to drink – that honour goes to the North East of England, with pints in places like Newcastle still under the national average.
But with prices rising across the country, The Sun’s Save Our Supps campaign is urging the Government to act fast and protect our precious pubs before it’s too late.
Economist Tim Black, from Frontier Economics, said: “The sector is at the sharp end of a wave of changes. The cumulative impact will be significant.”
The UK’s 10 most expensive pints
- Beavertown Neck Oil – £6.36
- Peroni – £6.08
- Asahi – £5.92
- Birra Moretti – £5.82
- Estrella Damm – £5.81
- Camden Hells – £5.72
- Brewdog Punk IPA – £5.64
- Camden Pale Ale – £5.59
- Corona – £5.54
- Staropramen – £5.42
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