Pubs closed at a record rate of 40 a week during the pandemic as lockdowns took their toll.
When restrictions first hit home in March last year, there were 47,927 pubs and bars across Britain.
By September this year, that had dwindled to just 44,680.
Among those lost were The White Horse in Churton, Cheshire, and The Butlers Arms in Pleasington, Lancs, which had been run by top chef, Michael Hales.
It is thought most of the struggling pubs were run by independent landlords who were less able to withstand the financial impact of the lockdowns than pub companies, despite help from taxpayer-backed loans and grants.
Last week, Wetherspoons also called time on the Running Horses in St Helens, Merseyside – one of the town’s biggest nightlife venues.
Changing drinking habits had already caused pub numbers to fall from around 60,000 in 1990. But 3,247 closures took place in the 18 months of the pandemic.
Graeme Smith, of AlixPartners, which revealed the figures, said: “Clearly the pandemic will have accelerated closure numbers for businesses that may have already been struggling to remain viable.”
Rick Robinson, landlord of the Willoughby Arms in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, said trade in the past four months was 30 per cent to 40 per cent down on the same time in 2019.
He said: “I think the public are still generally very nervous.”
