Revealed: The cheapest place in Britain to get a round of pints in

The average price of a pint of beer in Britain has risen by a “substantial” 10p to £3.79 over the last year, according to an annual survey by The Good Pub Guide.

It also revealed big regional differences in the typical cost of a pint, ranging from £4.57 in London down to £3.46 in Shropshire.

The 2.7% increase in the national average is higher than the latest CPI inflation figure of 2%, but lower than the rate of regular pay growth, which was most recently reported at 3.9%.

The figures were revealed as the latest edition of The Good Pub Guide, featuring the details of 5,000 venues, was published.

The Inn at Whitewell in Clitheroe, Lancashire has been crowned pub of the year.

Fiona Stapley, the guide’s editor, said the ban on smoking in pubs had helped transform pubs into cleaner, brighter places to eat and drink and opened up a “massive new customer base” including more women and families with young children.

In July, figures from commercial property consultancy Altus showed pubs in England and Wales closed at the rate of 40 a month in the first half of 2019.

But that was down from 76 a month in 2018 – with the slowdown in closures attributed to law changes making it easier for landlords to expand their food offer and giving local communities a greater say on the future of their locals.

The Good Pub Guide’s breakdown of regional beer prices split counties into the following tiers:

“Bargain beer”

• Shropshire (£3.46 average)
• Herefordshire (£3.48)
• Northumbria (£3.52)
• Yorkshire (£3.53)
• Staffordshire (£3.54)

“Fair-priced beer”

• Worcestershire (£3.56)
• Northamptonshire (£3.58)
• Derbyshire (£3.58)
• Leicestershire (£3.60)
• Wales (£3.62)
• Cheshire (£3.63)
• Cumbria (£3.64)
• Dorset (£3.64)

“Average-priced beer”

• Lincolnshire (£3.65)
• Cambridgeshire (£3.65)
• Lancashire (£3.65)
• Suffolk (£3.70)
• Bedfordshire (£3.70)
• Somerset (£3.71)
• Devon (£3.74)
• Wiltshire (£3.76)
• Cornwall (£3.79)
• Isle of Wight (£3.79)
• Norfolk (£3.82)
• Gloucestershire (£3.83)
• Essex (£3.83)
• Warwickshire (£3.88)
• Hampshire (£3.89)

“Expensive beer”

• Buckinghamshire (£3.91)
• Oxfordshire (£3.93)
• Berkshire (£3.95)
• Nottinghamshire (£3.95)
• Kent (£3.96)
• Hertfordshire (£3.97)
• Sussex (£4.02)
• Scotland (£4.03)

“Top whack beer”

• Surrey (£4.06)
• London (£4.57)

(c) Sky News 2019: Revealed: The cheapest place in Britain to get a round of pints in