Death of the local as three pubs close every week

Published on Monday 8 March 2010 21:42

THREE pubs are closing down in Scotland every week of the year, according to new figures that reveal the full impact of the recession and the growing trend towards drinking at home.

• Drinkers in Musselburgh, East Lothian, were until recently well provided for, but many pubs have fallen on hard times

Licensed trade leaders are blaming soaring costs for landlords, the knock-on impact of the smoking ban and growing licensing industry red tape for the demise of so many locals.

Experts also warned there was a growing trend away from socialising in the pub in favour of drinking at home with family and friends which has led to the closure of almost 400 pubs and bars in the last three years.

New figures reveal that there were 81 fewer pubs operating in Scotland last December than there were in June 2009.

The most recent drop, which saw the number of pubs in Scotland drop 1.5 per cent, takes into account the 51 new pubs that have opened up, some on the site of older premises.

There was a drop of 103 across the previous six months in Scotland and the total number has slumped from 5,719 during the summer of 2007 to the current level of 5,323.

The British Beer and Pub Association, which compiles the figures, said 1013 pubs had been lost across the UK, with the loss of an estimated 10,000 jobs between June and December last year.

Although the closure rate in Scotland was slightly better than the UK figure of 1.7 per cent of all pubs, licensed trade leaders north of the Border said the figures were "extremely worrying".

Patrick Browne, chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, said the industry was facing increasing operating costs and mounting regulations at a time when people were turning their backs on pubs due to the economic downturn.

"There has been a sustained period of closures over the last few years. I think the economic downturn is a major factor, but there is no doubt the licensing reforms in Scotland and the growing costs have also had an impact, and I do think there is still a residual impact of the smoking ban.

"There is also a definite trend of people drinking at home more. It's extremely worrying that this number of pubs have been closing down, particularly in rural areas around Scotland, where the pub is the main social hub and a major community asset."

Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said: "People are going out less, they are also tending to drink at home more at the beginning and the end of the night. That is down to the cheap availability of alcohol in supermarkets, who are using it as a loss-leader to get people into their stores."

Lindsay Grant, Scottish director of the Campaign for Real Ale, said: "Under the new licensing regulations, pubs can't run discounted promotions, while supermarkets can run them. People are drinking at home because it is cheaper. There has just been a trend away from going to the pub.

"The other big problem is the cost of running a pub has gone up so much in recent years, due to new regulations and the government's taxation policies."

Where long list of landlords have called time

COMMUNITIES up and down Scotland have witnessed long-standing pubs close their doors in the face of the economic downturn.

Pub-goers in the East Lothian town of Musselburgh have seen the demise of a string of watering holes. Among those to close in and around the town's High Street over the past year have been Mrs Foreman's, the Liquid Bar, the Sportsman, Oscars and Hayweights.

Lindsay Grant, Scottish director of the Campaign for Real Ale, said: "Musselburgh is one of these places that you really notice how many empty pubs there are. It's real evidence of what's been happening across the industry."

Graeme Martin, a barman at the Volunteer Arms, on the High Street, said: "We actually had a great year last year and we've been doing very well by concentrating on the quality of the beer that we serve.

"However, Musselburgh is probably an area where there has been over-provision of pubs over the years."

Jim Darroch, head of the Edinburgh and Lothians branch of Camra, said: "The big pub companies have probably been trying to charge far too much to tenants. They have probably put the rent up too much in far too many places in the hope of making more money and it just hasn't worked."