Pubwatch drops minimum pricing
Carlisle Pubwatch has dropped its minimum pricing scheme after being warned it is illegal.
Members had agreed not to sell drinks for less than £1.50 last summer after £1-a-drink deals and all-inclusive promotions appeared at bars in the town.
But the scheme in the Cumbrian town has now been pulled on advice from British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) northern region-al secretary Lee Le Clercq.
He highlighted advice from the Government department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (Berr) — reported in last week's MA — that warns against businesses taking part in price-fixing agreements that break competition law.
Pubwatch chairman Mike Vose, licensee of the King's Head in Fisher Street, said: "We've taken the advice of the BBPA and decided not to [have minimum pricing]."
Carlisle police's Sgt Richard Higgins said the move had not led to a return of cheap deals at bars. "The cheapest we have is about £1.80 for a drink at Wetherspoons," he said.
Le Clercq said: "I'm pleased that the licensees aren't operating minimum pricing any more. We hope they will continue to act responsibly around promotions."
Carlisle Pubwatch hit the headlines in January when it suspended two JD Wetherspoon pubs for breaking the pricing agreement by offering gin and tonic for 99p.
