In England and Wales, two pubs a day have been closing since the start of the year.

Government records revealed that 230 pubs closed their doors in the three months leading up to June 30, an increase from the previous quarter when 153 pubs had their doors closed.

Between January and June, 383 pubs were either destroyed or changed into other structures.

To preserve pubs, campaigners have urged for changes to the planning legislation.

The West Midlands' The Crooked House pub, formerly known as the "wonkiest" public house in the UK, was burned in a fire and then illegally destroyed in August, igniting fury in the neighbourhood and elsewhere.

According to statistics provided by commercial real estate experts Altus Group, the total number of pubs in England and Wales, including those that are unoccupied and being offered for rent, decreased to 39,404 at the end of June.

52 pubs were lost in Wales during the first half of the year, compared to 46 each in London and the North West.

Throughout the entire year 2022, 386 pubs were lost.

The Fleece in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is owned by Chris Miles, who made the decision to sell a few months ago. "I just thought, 'I can't solve this problem,'" Miles told BBC News.

"VAT is the single largest issue; we must pay HMRC a fifth of the revenue we produce. My most recent bill came to £26,000, and that was for a company that has never turned a profit, according to Mr. Miles.

In his fall statement in November, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was urged to take action, particularly by lowering the burden of business rates on the industry, according to Alex Probyn, president of property tax at Altus Group.

Businesses that already pay business rates, which are levied on the majority of non-domestic buildings, such as offices, bars, and vacation homes, will face an inflation-linked hike come next April unless the government steps in to intervene.

Bills should increase by more than 6% as a result next year.

For the 2023–2024 tax year, up to a ceiling of £110,000 per firm, pubs and other qualified hospitality, leisure, and retail enterprises receive a 75% reduction off their business rates payments. However, this discount is scheduled to expire in March 2024.

The Campaign for Pubs has issued a warning that landlords who seek to "cash in" by expanding pubs, such as by converting or destroying buildings for housing, are losing even lucrative businesses.

(Sources: bbc.co.uk)