Pubs run dry as fans sit back and drink to England

CO2 shortage means home support may face rationing as Southgate urges more followers to come to Russia

BRITAIN’S pubs risk running short of beer just as England take on Belgium in one of the biggest nights out of the year.

Millions of fans wanting to watch the World Cup group decider in the pub may find themselves unable to order their favourite brew. The beer crisis has been caused by a shortage of carbon dioxide and fuelled by the heatwave and huge crowds watching England’s unexpected good form.

The fervour in England prompted Gareth Southgate, the manager, to appeal for more supporters to travel to Russia to cheer on the team. So far just 2,000 fans have seen the first two England games with only as many as 3,000 expected for the Belgium match, put off by security fears in Russia.

In a show of support, Theresa May said yesterday the Cross of St George will fly over 10 Downing Street for each of England’s remaining World Cup matches. The Prime Minister also told MPS she will be encouraging other departments to do the same while David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, even agreed to fly the English flag on the Scotland Office building in London.

The Ei Group, Britain’s biggest pub chain, which owns 4,500 pubs, admitted yesterday it had been hit by the shortage. The company, previously called Enterprise Inns, said it was trying to “minimise” the problem with availability of certain brands.

The admission by Ei, which follows problems suffered by other pub chains including Wetherspoon, comes ahead of England’s final group game against Belgium tonight. Reports suggest as many as 16million pints of beer will be sold in pubs to coincide with the match – six million more than normal. But pubs face running out of certain brands amid speculation rationing may have to be introduced.

Heineken, one of the big suppliers, which also manufactures Amstel and John Smith brands, has been hit particularly hard and had warned it was suffering a “major issue with supply availability”. Last night, Heineken insisted its breweries were now “operating at full capacity”.

The beer shortage was caused by a dwindling supply since April of carbon dioxide gas. CO2 is made as a by-product of the ammonia industry but a number of plants were shut when the price of ammonia hit rock bottom. The British Beer & Pub Association said: “While stocks of bulk CO2 remain low and the availability of some beers may be more constrained than others, there is still plenty to go around.”

Southgate, 47, in making a dramatic plea for more fans to come to Russia for the knockout stages, said: “It would be great if more people are excited enough by what we are doing to come and watch us.”

Eric Dier, 24, the midfielder expected to be picked for his first start, echoed his boss. “It’s great when a stadium is full and even better if they are full of English fans,” he said. Sport: Pages 6-7