FURY erupted among licensees after brewers Whitbread announced a 4p-a-pint price rise just days after revealing a profits jump of 13 per cent.

The annual rise, which followed a budget increase, saw the price of cask ales go up by 1.4 per cent and all other beers and lagers by 2.5 per cent. Whitbread said the increase reflected the company's estimates of rising costs.

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