1,500 pubs closed in seven years, claim vintners

UP TO 1,500 pubs have closed since 2001 due to Government taxation and regulation policies, publican bodies said yesterday.

The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) based the figure on an analysis of the number of accounts held by the major drinks manufacturers who supply pubs across the country.

They said there are now only 9,500 on-trade accounts, down from 11,000.