Pub insurance holders have experienced declining sales in the first quarter of 2009, it has been revealed.
According to figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), total beer sales fell by 8.2 per cent in the opening three months of the year.
In addition, sales by pub insurance customers declined by 6.3 per cent, while those by supermarkets and off-licences dropped by 11 per cent.
The group's UK Quarterly Beer Barometer also showed that government beer tax revenues decreased by £17 million in January and February when compared to the same months in 2008 - in spite of a 18 per cent hike in the tax rate.
David Long, BBPA chief executive, commented: "These figures provide more telling evidence of the intense pressure in one of Britain's most important sectors. Falling beer sales means more publicans struggling to keep their pub doors open."
Recent figures from the BBPA claimed that pub insurance customers who cease trading could cost the government £242 million in lost tax revenue, if they continue to close at the same rate.
