HOPPY DAYS ARE HERE
»»Thirsty Brits flock to pubs across country
DRINKERS are set to sink a mindboggling 20 million pints this bank holiday weekend – sparking fears of a beer shortage.
With pub gardens back open and punters guzzling twice as much as before the pandemic, brewers have had to up production to cope with the unprecedented demand.
Thousands of people are also rushing to book holidays ahead of next week’s Government announcement easing the ban on foreign travel.
And families were given yet another reason to be cheerful, after it was revealed that harrowing care home restrictions would be lifted within days.
Bars and restaurants are expecting a £350million three-day bonanza this weekend, despite temperatures in some parts of the UK plunging as low as 8C.
Budweiser has reportedly upped its production by 630 million pints a year to avoid a shortfall. But yesterday, there were reports that Heineken had limited some pubs to three kegs of Amstel and Birra Moretti a week. That means landlords making do with as little as 264 pints of each lager.
On a normal day, the average pubs sells around 45 pints an hour.
Heineken said: “We’re working hard on a solution to meet demand. All our breweries are working flat out and we’re
connected with our breweries in other parts of Europe to import additional beer to the UK.”
Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “There has been lots of enthusiasm to return to pubs. It does mean demand has been higher than expected, but there is still plenty of beer to go round for everyone.” But Matt Todd, who runs the Wonston Arms in Wonston, Hants, said he had come close to being drunk dry.
“My locals have been a thirsty lot,” he said. “Friday night was lashing it down, but we hadn’t got a spare seat in the covered garden.” Molly Torkington, 24, was also meeting pals for pitchers in Manchester yesterday.
The art graduate, from Stockport, beamed: “It is going to be a boozy weekend.”
Sun-starved Brits are also looking forward to holidays abroad from May 17, with a “green list” of countries for quarantine-free travel set to be unveiled next week.
Many people have taken the gamble and booked ahead before prices sky-rocket.
Holiday giant Not Just Travel said it had experienced its busiest day of the year so far on Friday.
Co-founder Steve Witt said: “Everyone knows prices are going to shoot up and availability goes down, so people don’t want to miss out.”
Elsewhere, there was joy for care home residents who will finally be
LONDON Joy on the streets in Soho able to meet friends and family outdoors from Tuesday. Controversial rules had meant those who left the grounds of their home needed to isolate for 14 days upon their return.
But on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a U-turn – just days before a looming court challenge over the 14-day requirement.
Julia Jones, from John’s Campaign – a dementia rights organisation represented by law firm Leigh Day – said: “It should never have been considered permissible to confine adult members of society without their consent merely because their address happens to be that of a care home.”
Retired civil servant Sue Griffin, 73, from Worcester, whose 76-year-old brother Peter hasn’t left his care home in 14 months, was one of the people overjoyed by the news.
She said: “My brother has learning difficulties. I am so excited that we’ll be able to go for a walk together.”
It lashed it down on Friday but all seats were taken LANDLORD MATT TODD ON BUMPER WEEKEND