£4 pint 'on the way'

The price of a pint of beer could soon reach £4, industry figures announced yesterday.

A spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association warned that the current average price of a pint is already £3.20 in parts of London.

"There are areas and types of pubs around the country where we will not be surprised to see the £4 pint," he said.

Soaring costs for raw material are behind the increases – the cost of malted barley alone jumped by 80% in the past year.

Scottish & Newcastle, makers of Foster's and John Smith’s beer and Strongbow cider, last week pushed up their wholesale prices by an average of 5.7%.

Ian McHoul, Scottish & Newcastle's finance chief, said that rising prices for packaging, malt, apples, water and electricity were to blame.

Food price increases have been one of the driving factors behind the recent small increases in the rate of inflation. The cost of tea, chocolate, milk and bread are expected to continue to rise strongly.