RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans, had delivered a letter calling for a Budget cut in beer duty to Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Signed by 56 Tory backbenchers it warns Monday's scheduled increase in the tax on ales could lead to many more pubs shutting.

Mr Evans, President of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said: “Pubs are at the heart of communities across the Ribble Valley, and are often the last remaining business in villages across the UK. Three British pubs a day close their doors for good, if the Chancellor fails to act I am certain that hundreds more pubs will be forced out of business.”

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said: “The UK has one of the highest rates of tax in Europe. When over two thirds of all alcoholic drinks purchased in the pub are beers, a cut in beer tax would go a long way to protecting pubs across the Ribble Valley.”