PUB beer sales have halved since the turn of the century — with industry bosses blaming the high rate of tax on a pint.
They have dipped from around 6.9billion pints a year in 2000 to just 3.6billion, latest figures reveal.
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Cheap super-market booze has undercut pub prices and younger generations “preload” by drinking at home before a night out.
But growing numbers drink less beer and up to 20 per cent of pubs have closed since the start of the millennium.
The British Beer and Pub Association says on-trade beer sales, which include pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants, fell by 2.8 per cent in the second quarter of this year compared to last year.
The period last year did include England’s World Cup group games — but there was only a 1.7 per cent decline in beer sales for the same three months in shops.
Supermarket and shop sales have risen from 11.2million barrels a year in 2000 to 15.1 million in the 12 months to January this year.
There are now fears over any more hikes in duty, currently about 50p a pint.
BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “It is important the Chancellor supports beer and the pubs that serve it in their local communities.
She added: “Britain’s beer industry is a world-class manufacturing sector.
“Together, brewing and pubs support 900,000 jobs in towns and villages across the UK.”
