British pubs are closing at a rate of five a day, according to new figures.
Data released by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) reveals that 36 pubs a week have shut their doors for the last time each week since the start of the year.
According to the body, the rate of closure is nine times faster than in 2006 and 18 times faster than 2005.
Rob Hayward, chief executive of the BBPA, said: "Not only are the costs of running a pub increasing, but fewer people through the door means less cash in the tills."
Beer sales fell by 10.6 per cent in the three months to July, he added.
He also called on the government to abandoned plans to increase duty on alcohol by more than the rate of inflation for the next four years.
Last month, PricewaterhouseCoopers claimed that the current economic downturn will have less of an impact on public houses than the recession in the early 1990s.
