THE decision in last week's Budget to cancel future automatic beer duty rises has been welcomed as 'great news' by pub landlords across the area.

Chancellor George Osborne scrapped plans for a 3p beer duty rise, instead reducing the duty by a penny. The alcohol duty escalator, which adds inflation plus 2% to the price, will be abolished for beer completely. The escalator will remain in place for wine and spirits.

Nick Hamlyn, landlord of the Red Lion in Exbourne, said: 'It is great news. It sends out the signal that our industry is not being victimised as much as we perhaps thought.

'With the escalator being above inflation, and real ale being a heavy item, the rise of fuel costs really hits us and other pubs hard. So to see the escalator scrapped on beer is fantastic.

'For a real ale pub like ourselves it is really good news.'

Bob Colebrook-Clark, landlord at the Post Inn in Whiddon Down welcomed aspects of the Budget, but felt it could have gone further to support businesses.

'At the end of the day, it is excellent that the beer escalator has been scrapped,' said Mr Colebrook-Clark. 'A penny off a pint is not going to make much difference, but it is still good news that the duty will not increase. There were never going to be sweeping changes but there are positives.

'The freeze in fuel duty for a pub like us, which is out in the sticks a bit, will hopefully encourage people to visit country pubs like us.

'It is a shame that Mr Osborne didn't assess the VAT implications on food. There is where our money goes, as we are predominantly a food pub now, like so many out there.'

MP for Central Devon Mel Stride has also welcomed the announcement. He recently added his name to a campaign run by the British Beer and Pub Association, Campaign for Real Ale and the Society of Independent Brewers, calling for a duty freeze.

'The previous Government increased beer duty by 60% and left many pubs fighting for survival,' said Mr Stride. 'Today's budget means that beer will be 4p a pint cheaper than it would otherwise have been after Sunday night.

'This will give landlords across my constituency a much needed break while they continue to endure difficult trading conditions. We need vibrant pubs to remain at the heart of our local communities.'

l Beer lovers have an excellent excuse to head to the pub this Easter — by having a pint for charity.

The Red Lion Inn at Exbourne is holding a beer festival from Thursday, March 28 over the Easter weekend to Easter Monday on April 1. The pub will be serving ten South West real ales, with 50p from every pint going to Exbourne Pre-School.

Landlord Nick Hamlyn said: 'We enjoy holding the festivals, and love to support the village pre-school, so we hope we can raise as much as possible.'