'£4 a pint looms amid soaring barley prices and VAT rise'

The pub price of a pint of beer, which has doubled in the last 19 years, looks set to climb further next year as poor barley harvests in Eastern Europe and export controls imposed by Russia threaten to hit brewers while they are forced to push through VAT and duty rises. The average cost of a pint of draught lager was £1.40 in 1991 but rose to £2.81 last year, according to the Office for National Statistics figures analysed by the British Beer & Pub Association - an increase of 68% ahead of inflation - The Guardian​

Former Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson called on David Cameron today to ensure the contents of the Government wine cellar are made public. Mr Watson has written to the Prime Minister asking him to overturn a Foreign Office decision not to publish full details of which wines and vintages are held in the cellar - The Independent​

The government is planning trials of equipment to test if drivers are under the influence of drugs. The move could lead to a roll-out of the technology across all police forces in England, Scotland and Wales within two years - BBC​

A marquee hire boss is feeling deflated after thieves did a runner with his £5500 blow-up pub. Joe Baillie hired out the 20ft by 20ft PVC inflatable boozer, called the Jaggy Bunnet, for an event at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh. But when his staff went to collect it afterwards, it had vanished. Joe said: "The pub weighs around 350 kilos, so someone couldn't just have stuck it under their arm and walked off." - Daily Record​