Landlords struggle to keep trade going

Almost half the pubs in a Shropshire town, once famed for its traditional brewing industry, are now closed.

Of the eight pubs remaining in Wem, five are still trading but three stand empty. The White Horse Hotel in High Street closed in 2007 while the Fox Inn in High Street closed last July.

Most recently, the Old Post Office, also in High Street, has been forced to close its doors.

The Fox Inn is up for sale with a £225,000 price tag, while owners of the Old Post Office are on the lookout for new tenants.

The White Horse could yet return as a shop or restaurant as part of plans to develop the rear of the site into flats, but the former pub's future remains unclear.

But the Castle Hotel in High Street; The Dickin Arms in Noble Street; The Hawkestone Arms in New Street; The White Lion in High Street and The Albion in Aston Street are all open for business.

Civic leaders say the closures mirror national trends which have seen about one pub a week go under according to industry experts.

Councillor Mandy Meakin, deputy mayor of Wem, said she was saddened by the development, adding that at its height Wem had 26 licensed premises including pubs and tap houses.

She said nowadays she feared people were socialising in pubs less for various reasons including cheap drink deals at supermarkets and the smoking ban.

"We used to run The Albion about 20 years ago and once we got it thriving, the pub company virtually trebled the rent overnight - that's what publicans now still have to contend with," she said.

"When I was a youngster you could only buy alcohol in pubs but nowadays you can get it more cheaply at supermarkets and even petrol stations.

"It's very sad and it seems pubs are fighting a losing battle.

"There are quite a few empty pub and shop premises in Wem at the moment, but we are hopeful many of them will bounce back. Wem will pull its socks up, it always does."

Nick Perkins, who has been tenant at The Albion for three months, said he was optimistic for the future of his business and the town trade.

"I really love the place and the food has been going very well so far," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to my first summer in charge so I'm optimistic that pubs in Wem can thrive."

Another tenant, who asked not to be named, said: "I'm still optimistic about the future of pubs but the government needs to do much more to make it a level playing field between us and the supermarkets.

Increase

"I've heard they want to increase beer duty by 40p a pint by the end of this year while the shops can sell alcohol as a loss leader."

Although the main Wem Brewery in Noble Street closed in 1988, the industry has not left town altogether.

Wem Brewing Company Ltd operates a microbrewery from Wem Industrial Estate, where it produces a range of bitters, dark and pale ales.