THE loss of Weymouth and Portland's pubs is laid bare in stark new figures which reveal that since 2010 nearly a third have closed their doors for good.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2010 there were 80 pubs and bars but by 2017 that had fallen to 55 – a loss of 25.

Pubs have been pointing the finger of blame at the taxman for their troubles, complaining about the duty on beer, VAT levels and the cost of business rates.

The picture is different in west Dorset where although the number has fluctuated over time, in recent years the number of establishments has risen, bucking the national trend.

In 2016 there were 120 pubs in the district but a year later that had risen to 130. In that same period, five disappeared in Weymouth and Portland.

Latest pubs in west Dorset include the Duchess of Cornwall Inn, opened in Poundbury in 2016. It joins the estate's other pub The Poet Laureate which opened in 2002.

Chairman of the West Dorset branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) David Harris said: "We've seen a reduction in pubs and that's sad – off the top of my head we've lost two out of three in Wyke Regis and a couple on Portland. It's harder to remember the ones in town but there's been a change. But it's not all bad news – some of those we thought had gone have been revived and a new micropub has opened in Weymouth."

Mr Harris added: "It's encouraging that west Dorset is bucking the trend; new micropubs in Dorchester and Bridport are helping to sharpen up the rest of the competition, and we've seen pubs in villages previously run by big breweries taken over by private individuals."

Mr Harris pointed to a range of factors for pub closures including cheaper alcohol in supermarkets, people going out less and drinking at home, and choosing to meet up in coffee shops rather than pubs.

Across the UK 5,745 pubs closed between 2010 and 2017.

CAMRA says pubs play a vital role in communities, particularly in rural areas where they provide the last remaining public meeting space, amid closures of other facilities.

Britain's Beer Alliance, a group of organisations in the sector, has started Long Live the Local campaign with a petition and calls for people to write to their MP to have beer duty reduced.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: "We are calling on the Government to cut beer duty in the upcoming November budget.

"Seven in ten alcoholic drinks sold in a pub are beer, so cutting beer duty is the most direct way of helping pubs."

A spokesman for the Treasury said: “90% of pubs across the country can benefit from the business rates relief introduced at Budget 2017, which could save them up to £1,000 a year.

“In addition, both businesses and their customers have saved around £3 billion since 2013 thanks to changes to alcohol duty.”

'Constant pressure on landlords'

RHOS Thompson, landlord of the Wyke Smugglers – the last remaining pub in Wyke – said pubs have to work harder to keep customers. He said the key was looking after people and making the establishment the hub of a community.

Mr Thompson regularly organises charity nights and functions, and decorated his community with giant poppies for Remembrance Day.

During the snow earlier this year he provided free soup and obtained provisions for locals who couldn't make it to the shops.

The Wykefest beer festival is running at the pub this weekend, finishing tomorrow.

Mr Thompson said: "Fashions are changing, drinking habits are changing; you have to realise that and respond to it. That means working hard, looking after customers and believing in what you're doing. You can't just open the door and expect people to come in."

Mr Thompson added: "There's constant pressure on landlords. There's very little in the way of tax parity compared with the supermarkets. We're being squeezed by the government for duty and business rates and the breweries are dictating the prices to us so there's small percent profit on a pint of beer."