many on here are saying that the smoking ban is responsible for pubs going under, if that's the case, then good. many of these places are spit and sawdust dumps that deserve to be down the pan. as for "tug wilson" tories are the last thing we need for the country, we are just getting over Thatcher!

tony, Lancs, UK

This may sound odd but I do not want to pay more for any beer I drink at home to "soften the impact of a worsening economy on pubs". I don't use the pubs in the town where I live because none of them have an offer that apepals to me.

Jws, Sittingbourne, Kent

We have had cheap supermarket booze for years,fact,when are newspapers and web sites going to start telling the TRUTH,the Smoking Ban is the real reason pubs and clubs are going out of business,this is why the Tories have come up with their Freedom Charter,sooner the better.

tug wilson, nottingham, england

if most of the pubs and clubs close, just think what effect this will have on the birth rate

anon, nancy,

I will no longer pay 3 pounds a pint in pub. It's a complete rip-off.

ray, Somerset,

" with many landlords blaming the smoking ban, which came into effect in July 2007, for the reduction in business. Last year, almost seven times as many pubs closed compared with the previous year. "

There you have it, direct from the coal face.
Now stop the fiction.

Frank H, London,

.......and the British will follow this trend like sheep and eventually help to kill the great institution of the pub. It will be down to the real ale societies, of which my cousin belongs, to save the day !!!!!

ian payne, WALSALL,

Muslims don't drink.

Rafael, Granada, España

I live in Spain (Benalmadena, Costa Del Sol) a pint of beer at a bar is only €2.00
They (bars) can choose if they want it to be a smoking bar or not, and have by law to put a sign up on the entrance door stating this. Then, non smokers can choose whether or not to go into a "smoking" bar.

Andrew Greenwood, Benalmadena Costa, spain

People from the pub trade claim that the smoking ban combined with competition from supermarkets on price, make it tough for pubs to stay open. Add to this the appeal that bars have over the pubs these days, and you are basically fighting a losing battle! Shame because pubs are a British tradition!

Nathalie Hachet, Manchester, UK

Well atleast you don't have to worry about being stabbed on the way home.

Socially going out has become vile and a rip off, plus smokers
are now treated like lepers.

But closet drinking creates more chronic alcoholics so NHS, social services etc, will need more money.

Steve, Manchester,

I am not surprised when pubs charge you over £3.50 for a pint and even more for a bottle!

Nothing to do with the smoking ban. Make prices more resonable then people will go back in pubs.

We can all see the mark up pubs and restaurants make when you can get 6 cans of Stella for £5!!!!

robert, london, uk

No wonder pubs are loosing trade to supermarkets,a £5 bottle of wine from a s/market cost £18 when having a meal in a pub they should get real.Soft drinks cost the earth in comparison and beer is out of all preportion just like spirits.If they want more customers they should reduce prices quickly.

Brian Callaghan, Warrington, England

Don't complain guys. In France it is worse! we pay more and are served by impolite waiters. I am coming to regret your pubs.

Thomas, Nnates, France

"you drink cheaper beer and the wife and kids enjoy a big dose of secondry smoke EVERY NIGHT"

mac, are you trying to suggest you were doing your wife and kids a favour by going to the pub? You drink and smoke every day, have no respect for your family, and that's the fault of politicians? Shocking.

Helen, Oxford,

The main cause of the demise of pubs is high property values,the brewers expect a return on a building worth £400,000. plus. and it just does not add up,plus all the other legislation which militates against the profirability of these small businesses.

Eddy, Bury St.Edmunds,

Pubs used to have a strong communal role. But the internet has changed the nature of community and social interaction. For many, pubs have become an expensive irrelevance.

Also, pubs have lost the support of the over-40s (like me) as they've aggressively pursued young drinkers.

paul rickard, kingston,

It's not that the supermarkets sell drink too cheaply, it's that pubs are too expensive. I am a member of a club that sells beer at £1.68 a pint and, on a Saturday night, the place is full. So in many instances it's the price and not the not smoking ban that is killing the pubs.

D. Barrowclough, Burnley,

Come on, £3 per pint for watered down draught lager, meals £7.95 a plate of fish and chips. Lunch in the pub used to be a regular event, now it would cost over a tenner for a dodgy pint and a plate of rubbish chips. Pubs need to grow up, clean up compete or close, not winge and expect tax breaks

Roarke, Wembley, UK

How sad that the typical quintessential British pub is going down the pan! There is no substitute for good hand pulled beer, good food and the great atmosphere provided by a good licensee. It's the licensee's I feel sorry for. Having spent their life savings investing in a doomed business venture.

Bob Mynett, Sandbach, England

I find that since i been married with young children it costs so much to pay babysitters that its cheaper to buy wine or beer from the supermarket,if we do go out we like to find real ale pubs with no jukebox and that gives good service and serves good food, public houses please take note.

TOM, Dundee, Scotland

There are two reasons I dont drink in pubs one the price £3:40 for a bottle of smirnoff ice, is stupid to the point where I don't do rounds with my beer drink mates, as a pint on cost £1:20.

2nd I resent being treated like a 5 year old and have to use a plastic cup, to drink out side.

MR W Jones, Liverpool, England

People are sick of being ripped off. £2.70 for the cheapest beer in my local
The Govmnt tax the hell out of pub pints which handicaps the pubs. They can't compete.
Either impose the same tax on the supermarkets or cut the tax for the pubs. Surprised the breweries haven't taken the Govmnt to court,

Phill, The Wirral, England

Go to the pub and

a) Get utterly ripped off for average beer
b) Made to feel uncomfortable by yobs for daring to be over 40
c) Get nicked for drink driving as there is no bus or other way to get there

or

d) Have friends round and pay 75% less for beer

Which would you prefer?

David, St Albans, UK

At an average of £3.30 per pint in this affluent area & the current economy, it's no surprise people are forced to change the drinking habits. If JDW can sell beer on average around £2-2.50, why can't other chains such as S&N, Punch, etc. with their buying clout re-invigerate this market?

David, Sunbury-on-Thames, UK

i have two choices.
go to a friends house and imbibe a few beers from the local supermarket,enjoy pleasant company in and safe surroundings, usually with some home made or takeaway food.
or
My local pub.where you can drink expensive badly kept ales in the company of druggies ect.

martin, coventry, west mids

The supermarket business model only works if everyone has a car. Pubs and cars don't mix. Expect pub sales to bounce back as high oil prices force cars off the streets, and buy shares in Wetherspoons.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

I think the main reason for the pubs in my area being hit is the fact that they are run so badly. Rubbish beer, poor service, filthy toilets, the list's endless. Before the landlords start moaning they should try smartening up there act, then the people may return.

Nigel Venus, Sutton Coldfield,

Rip off prices in pubs and restaurants is the cause, the supermarkets are to be congratulated. I drink at home, it costs nearly £10 for three pints in pub, just over £3 at home and I don't have to listen to loud music or yobbos shouting.

Pete, Barry, Wales

Binge drinking, wholesale and in private cannot be any healthier so why not tax the gimballs off that too?

Tom, Perth, Oz

More community spaces closures due to Labour tax and anti-smoking policies another industry in decline just like housing (HIPS and stamp duty).

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

Good riddance! The beer is so bad anyway, warm, badly kept, un-hoppy, bland, disgusting lagers. So many problems with the beer in this country, I much prefer going to Sainsbury's and buying quality beers from there. If I want to go out for a beer, there is always Eurostar and Bruges, Belgium.

Juha, Epsom, UK

Once again madness reigns super in UK govt. Here's an idea about quit increasing duty every year and try cutting it, Opps I silly me thinking govt would actually reduce taxes. Neo-stalinist govts. ruining cultures and economies an undeniable truth.

Mike, Washinton, DC, USA

get a six-pack from the supermarket, go home and watch telly and smoke and drink with the wife and kids.what could be better? you drink cheaper beer and the wife and kids enjoy a big dose of secondry smoke EVERY NIGHT. clever these politicians!!!!!!!!!

mac, london,

Go back now and re-read all the predictions from the so-called "doomsayers" before the implementation of the smoking ban. Could we now PLEASE review this madness and allow both a smoking and a non-smoking room in every pub. This has driven out the regulars, pub beer sales have dropped. As foretold.

Adrian Leahy, Wigan, UK