Home News North East News

Over 200 North pubs close in last four years

Mar 15 2009 by Michael Kelly, Sunday Sun

The Coburg pub in North Shields which is now closed

Click here to tell us what you think about this story

MORE than 220 pubs have closed across the North in the last four years, the Sunday Sun can reveal.

The shocking figures, which means on average four boozers have shut each month since 2005, provide sobering reading for the crisis–hit trade which is calling on the Government to safeguard its future.

Blaydon MP Dave Anderson is a member of the All Parliamentary Beer Group which published the report.

He said: “It’s worrying and confirms what a lot of us knew without knowing how bad it really was until now.”

The figures, based on parliamentary constituencies, show no region in the North has escaped.

Hardest hit is Cumbria where Copeland and Workington have experienced 39 closures between them.

Not surprisingly rural North Yorkshire has seen also seen numbers plummet losing 12 in Richmond and also 12 in the Vale of York.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough has had nine closures as has Wallsend in North Tyneside while Sunderland North has seen eight.

For weeks concern has been mounting about the future of the pub trade among MPs and all sections of the business.

It has resulted in the unlikely pairing of the British Beer & Pub Association which represents the pub groups and the Campaign for Real Ale.

Keep up to date with the news. Sign up for News Alerts

Have your say on the latest news and sport in our Forums

Site Tools

Related Tags

(What's this)