Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Landlords cry in beer as regulars stay home

Last orders are being called at pubs across the country as landlords bow to the pressure of recession. The cheer has gone out of the trade as drinkers find little to celebrate and tighten their belts. Last year the Licencsed Victuallers Association - the landlord's national representative body - collapsed, leaving landlords with even less back-up. In Somerset , sales have plunged by around 15 per cent over the past five years as daily drinkers cut back to one or two evenings a week and more people lose their jobs. And despite brewery promotions, tied pubs are feeling more exposed than ever. Last year three per cent  less beer was brewed as producers react to falling sales. Landlords believe that more people are drinking at home because of the rising cost of visiting the local. Home brewing also has an effect. And the number of licensed premises on the market continues to grow by the day as weary landlords call time.

Glum licensee Richard Stallard was chairman of LVA's Yeovil branch when it went under. And as his staff at the Fleur de Lys prepare to open the doors again, he reflects on the pressures which are driving more and more publicans to the wall. "This is the first time we have actually experienced a recession in this trade," he says. "Like anyone else in the leisure industry we rely on spare cash. I have always said that this was the last trade to suffer and the first to recover but the number of pubs that operate on a food basis has changed that. People say there is money in food but after all the legislation there is not. I have been a landlord for 30 years and now the EC tells me that I am not qualified to make a sandwich. It is absurd." The new food and hygiene regulations have hit hard, especially with the public's changing perception of pubs. More people than ever expect to be able to walk into a pub at any time and order food.

And, with the price of licensed premises falling along with the housing market, more and more couples are falling into the trap of buying one to fulfill their dream of owning a cosy pub. "New landlords seem to be coming and going more than ever," says Mr Stallard. "Most people sell their house to buy a pub. It is the biggest mistake they can make. Publicans are born not taught and no matter how good you are things can still fall apart. If you do not make it you can find yourself without a roof."

Richard Stallard is one of the old guard of publicans - he has been at the Fleur de Lys on Mudford Road for 25 years and is one of a dying breed.