The publicans said the increase has been like “a punch in the face” while struggling industry bosses are warning the scallywags are risking more boozers closing
Pub landlords have seen a rise in customers smuggling in their own drinks.
The publicans said the increase has been like “a punch in the face” while struggling industry bosses are warning the scallywags are risking more boozers closing.
Megan Sim, who runs The Dolphin in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, said her team had noticed a significant increase this year in people bringing their own drinks.
She said: “They’re stashing it out the back and pouring whenever they want.
“The worst was when they brought in two bottles of vodka and a bottle of rum.”
The landlady estimated the pub lost £480 on one of the worst occasions and warned cash-strapped pubs would simply go if people did not “treat them correctly”.
And she said that it is “not youngsters” but older people who are “bringing in cans, bottles, the little buzz ball cocktails”.
She added: “But they’re still sitting in the pub, still enjoying the entertainment.
“It’s really frustrating.”
Sim said some get embarrassed and apologetic when confronted, but others can become “quite aggressive and mouthy”.
Andy Tighe, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “Hopefully it’s not widespread.
“If it became widespread, it would push many pubs over the edge.
“We already saw a pub every day closing in 2025.
“We very much hope people will understand that this is not something pubs can absorb and not something they should be doing.”