Easter turns out a curate's egg

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Licensees around the country reported mixed trade over the Easter bank holiday weekend. Bob Hamlin, at Foxton Locks Inn near Market Harborough, was...

Licensees around the country reported mixed trade over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Bob Hamlin, at Foxton Locks Inn near Market Harborough, was so busy he had to borrow beer from a neighbouring pub: "The pub is right next to the locks and a haven for tourists. We took around £50,000 in four days and it has been a fantastic first Easter at the pub."

Hamlin estimated 3,000 pints and around 1,400 meals were served over the bank holiday, despite unsettled weather.

"It rained on and off, but we have large canopies in the beer garden so lots of people retreated to the pub for shelter and had a drink while they were here," he said.

In Norfolk, David Watts at the Kings Head in Letheringsett felt trade was marred by staggered school holidays: "Some kids had already been off for a week, some had only just broken up and some were ready to go back, so, instead of having a massive boost in trade, it was steady."

Watts reported an increase in trade on 2005 but said the team worked longer hours: "We did 1,002 meals over the weekend, compared with last year's 663, but we didn't close until after midnight most nights, so it felt steady."

Nick Barrett, at the Gardeners Arms in Cheddar, Somerset, was disappointed by the lack of tourists: "The weather wasn't great and there weren't as many holidaymakers as we had hoped for. But business was steady - just like a normal weekend really."

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