Pub closures: North East ranked as the most successful UK region at keeping pubs open

As pub closures remain an issue for many UK communities, a new study has shown the North East is one of the UK’s top regions for the number of pubs staying open.

The latest research by finance specialists RIFT reveals that some parts of Britain have seen as many as 69 local pubs close their doors in the past two years, a situation that could be made even worse when the freeze on alcohol tax ends on 1st August.

Compared to the national average, which has seen a 0.3% rise in pubs between July 2020 and February 2022, the North East has seen a fantastic 6.2% rise in pubs welcoming customers through their doors throughout the week.

The rise has been helped by situations in County Durham and Newcastle, which have seen 37 and 30 pubs open over the time frame respectively.

The news isn’t all good for the region though, as South Tyneside has been marked as the worst spot for pub closures in the North East with 11 pubs closing throughout the duration of the study, which equates to a 7.9% loss in pub sites.

In total the North East has 69 more pubs at the start of 2022 compared to July 2022.

Read Newcastle's news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day's news and sport and enjoy even more from the NewcastleWorld team. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up.

London has lost the largest amount of pubs over that time with 33 less boozers compared to July 2020 while the West Midlands has seen the most number of pubs open, marking a 2.4% change, just short of the North East.