Price lists should be shown in pubs says new Government report

Pub customers have the right to know how much soft drinks cost before they order them at the bar, according to a new report.

New Government proposals, which come into force next year, will force licensees to display their price lists where they can be clearly seen.

The move should ensure that customers are not shocked by high prices after buying drinks and could lead to prices being slashed.

This follows a Government survey two years ago which found that the average price of fruit juices in pubs were three and a half times as expensive as those bought in supermarkets or off-licences. The Government believes that prices of soft drinks tend to be lower if they are properly displayed.

But the Office of Fair Trading found that there was no sign of the trade ripping off customers.

Director of Communications at the British Beer and Pub association, Mark Hastings, said: "We have been working with the DTI and trading standards on this and fully support what they are trying to achieve.

"But prices of soft drinks are not too high. The price relates to the extra costs that licensees have to cover. It's the same as buying a bottle of wine in a restaurant and complaining that it is cheaper in the supermarket.

"This is not just about soft drinks. Hotels, pubs and restaurants will have to display all the prices more clearly which will include food, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks."

John Paul-Mealing, licensee at Lucky Jims in Eastleigh, Hampshire, said that he was happy to display the prices of his soft drinks so that customers would be aware of the costs before buying a drink.

"They're right that it is cheaper to drink alcohol than soft drinks in a pub," Mr Paul-Mealing said.

"We don't get many complaints about our prices here, but customers do complain about the price of post-mix coke. And if someone asks for a bottle of orange and a post-mix lemonade it starts getting silly.

"We don't display our soft drinks prices at the minute but we don't have any problems displaying them in the future."