Comment - Pricey pubs need support

1:57pm Monday 22nd October 2001

IT'S official. A pint of beer is pricey in Bucks' pubs.

The Good Beer Guide tells us what we've known for years: when you buy a couple of drinks in your local, don't expect much change from a fiver.

Landlords say beer is expensive because of the cost of living in Bucks, which they have to pass on to the customer. Unfortunately pub-goers in the county also face high costs, especially house prices.

So when they have put enough aside for the mortgage there is often little left to drown their sorrows down the local.

But we do have sympathy for the many independent pub-owners who do their best to keep prices as low as possible.

They don't have the same resources to buy in bulk as their larger competitors, and they would go out of business without a good mark-up.

That would be great shame as we are already losing most of out traditional pubs to the bigger chains, who in many instances turn the establishment into a theme venue, much to annoyance of some customers.

Of course, it is always cheaper to buy beer at the supermarket, but would you really want to miss out on the fantastic atmosphere in many pubs?