I hate to be the bringer of bad news, and recently I feel as if I am but, if it wasn’t bad enough news that the English breakfast was looking shaky now it is the turn of the British pub! It’s hard to believe this is the case, as we receive so many enthusiastic pub reviews everyday on the site – often implying that a great deal of your spend a lot of time and cash in our pubs - but it looks like your efforts are not enough.

The British Beer & Pub Association has released dismal estimates that claim that four British pubs are shutting every day! The rate of closure is fourteen times faster now than it was in 2005, and with only 57,000 pubs left in Britain compared to the 69,000 we had in 1980 the situation could be getting pretty worrying.

The problem doesn’t seem to be so much with the city pubs; it’s the decline in the trusty village pub, which is seeing a downturn in popularity due to tougher drink-driving laws and the cheap availability of beer and alcohol in super- markets. The result is pub beer sales are at an all time low - they haven’t been as low since the depression of the 1930’s.

You have to stop and ponder the loss of British identity if we lose our pubs. This isn’t a simply case of loss of a national pastime (drinking) but also another great hit to our already flimsy community. Pubs are often breeding ground for good local communities and local identities.

So, more people are swapping their twice weekly trips to the local pub in favour of a trip to the supermarket for cheap discounted beers to take home a watch alone in front of the TV, why? Come on people let’s get out a little more, keep our local boozers open – give them your money, or we will lose them for good. You never know you might even meet some local peeps!

If you’re in need of inspiration try searching pubs in your local area here, see what you get. Remember to be specific, the most popular pub name in Britain is The Red Lion, closely followed by The Royal Oak!

Photo by JL2003, over on Flickr.