Pub is selling 'cheapest pints in Britain' for just £2.30
A PUB is selling the 'cheapest pints' in Britain for just £2.30 – almost half the average price.
The Waggon and Horses in Oldbury, West Midlands, is flogging all beers, ciders and ales at £2.90 or less to encourage punters to drink in traditional local boozers.
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While other places have previously lowered the cost of one or two brands, customers don't think anywhere can beat the price for their entire drink selection.
The old-school Black Country pub said it wanted to 'give back' to locals with bargain beer as many people struggle with the cost of living.
A pint of Stella will now cost you just £2.80, while Carling, Coors and John Smiths costs £2.40 and a pint of Thatcher's Gold costs £2.30.
The average cost of a pint in Britain now exceeds £4 – £4.58 for the first time, up from £2.30 in 2008 during the last recession.
And a pint in London's West End can cost more than £9, while one in ten taverns sell between £6 and £6.99 and 40 per cent charge an average of £4.58.
Tenant Matthew Porter said: 'I've had this pub for seven years and it's a real local pub. It deserves to be busy every day.
“On either side of us there are multi-million dollar companies raising their prices and we're lowering ours saying 'come and drink with us.'
“These days you have to think outside the box a bit. We just looked at how low we could drop our prices and survive at the same time.
“As long as we pack it in all day, every day, we should be able to pay the bills and people can get cheap beer so everyone stays happy.
“It's tough for people at the moment, some are struggling and aren't going to spend £40 on a Friday night anymore.
It's a great little pub and I'll be returning here more often now that the prices are so low.
George Scott
'But if that suddenly becomes more of an evening for ten euros, we hope that people will be more inclined to come and have a drink with us.
“We want to keep traditional pubs going. They are part of communities and connect everywhere.
“I think the younger generations will forget how to socialize.
“But to keep our prices low, we need people to show their support.
“We are lowering prices for everyone, but we need them to show their support to keep prices low.
“We just want to give something back.”
The small, traditional pub serves corn on the cob sandwiches daily and has four TVs showing live sports and events.
Matthew added: “The architecture inside is phenomenal. There are old-fashioned tiled floors and ceilings and a real fireplace.
“The café is small, but that is compensated by the atmosphere.”
Pub customer George Scott, 67, from Oldbury, added: “It's a great little pub and I'll be coming back here more often now that the prices are so low.
“Credit to them. Right now prices seem to be rising in every aspect of life, so it's amazing to see them falling somewhere.
“I've heard of pubs cutting the price of a pint or two, but here they've cut virtually their entire offering, which is unheard of.
“You let others drink £1 a pint for a certain number of hours on one day a week, but it's great to keep prices this low all the time.
“It has to be the cheapest pub in the country considering the whole range on offer.”
Geordie Gordon, 62, originally from Newcastle and now living in Oldbury, has been drinking at the Waggon and Horse for 15 years.
He said, “Yes, I love it. I have just returned from Cardiff where I paid £6 a pint and that was the cheapest.
“So to come back here where the prices are so low makes it much more affordable to go for a pint.
“The prices now are comparable to when I first came 15 years ago. It's a nice little pub and everyone knows each other.
“You get some new faces every now and then, like away fans when the Baggies are playing and now we're seeing more of them thanks to the cheap prices.”
Another punter, Michael Brennan, 50, from Great Bridge, added: “My drink is Stella which is usually quite pricey so to get it for £2.80 is a bargain.
“And £2.30 per Thatchers is ridiculous these days. But I'm glad this is my local business and I hope it attracts more customers.”
The Wagon and horses is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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UNFORGETTABLE
ALMOST half of pubs now charge more than five euros for a pint of lager as drinkers are plagued by ever-increasing costs.
The price of a pint has risen to between £5 and £5.99 in almost a third of inns (32 per cent), while one in ten taverns are selling a pint of lager for between £6 and £6.99.
Four in ten pubs charge around the national average of €4.58 and charge between €4 and €4.99.
In 2008, during the last recession, the price of a pint was £2.30.
Since then, prices have continued to rise.
Only 16 percent of British drinkers sell pints for less than £4 and just 2 percent charge a cheap and cheerful £2 to £2.99 for a pint.