Britain is losing 800 pubs a year because of cheap supermarket booze and tax hikes
Experts blame high business rates, VAT and beer duty - which they say is encouraging more people to drink at home
BRITAIN is losing more than 800 pubs a year — hit by rises in taxes and people drinking at home.
The number of pubs and bars has fallen from 44,680 to 38,935 in seven years.
An average of almost 16 locals closed for good every week between 2010 and 2017, the latest official figures show.
Experts blame high business rates, VAT and beer duty — which they say is encouraging more people to drink cheaper supermarket booze at home.
Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “The number of pubs has fallen dramatically.
“This is deeply concerning because pubs are a great British institution and are often the social hub of their community.”
A breakdown of the Office for National Statistics figures shows that Wiltshire has seen the biggest reduction in pubs.
The county’s total dropped from 495 in 2010 to 400 in 2017.
Waltham Forest, North East London, saw the biggest percentage reduction — a 40 per cent fall from 75 bars to just 50.
But nearby hipster hotspot, Hackney, East London, had a 46 per cent rise from 120 to 175.
Some city centres renowned for their nightlife also bucked the closure trend.
Campaigners are calling for a cut in beer duty in the Budget on October 29.