Pub goers urged to drink more

The UK’s beer drinkers are being urged to help stop pub closures and push the industry back into growth, by drinking more.

The Campaign for Real Ale, kicked off its Great British Beer Festival in London by urging pub goers to have just one extra pint every month.

Camra said that if the millions of people who go to a pub bought the extra pint, the fortunes of the UK’s pubs would receive a huge boost.

Camra added that almost 40% of pub-goers were visiting a pub less often than a year ago, leading to a slump in beer sales.

Around 7.8 million pints were sold last year, compared with 8.4 million in 2010, with an average of 26 pubs closing every week in the UK.

Chief executive Mike Benner said: “Around 32 million people in the UK enjoy a beer at least once a year, but the number of people drinking in pubs has been on the decline, contributing to an overall fall in beer sales.

“But with the price of a pint getting a much-needed duty cut in this year’s Budget, there’s never been a better time to get down the pub and help save the Great British pub. Just a pint a month extra is all it would take.”

With more than 1,000 British breweries making more than 8,000 different beers, Camra is limiting the number of brews from most firms to just one at this week’s event.