Soft drink prices targeted in 'name and shame' scheme

ROAD safety officers throughout South Yorkshire are asking for the public's help in finding the pubs and clubs in the county who are charging the most and least for soft drinks.

They would like people to make a note of the price of a pint of lager and the price of a glass of coke, and let them know where they were bought.

You can email the information to:

In Barnsley: chrishamer@barnsley.gov.uk
In Doncaster: enved@doncaster.gov.uk
In Rotherham: road.safety@rotherham.gov.uk
In Sheffield: michael.stanley@sheffield.gov.uk

Cllr Margaret Morgan, Cabinet spokesperson for Environmental Services in Barnsley, says that the idea is to shame the pubs who are putting profit before safety.

"I know that pubs and other licensed businesses need to make a profit and cover overheads but the public are aware of what they feel are 'overdone' prices for soft drinks. A can of coke can be purchased for around 50 pence from a machine or shop, where a profit is made, but customers have said they are paying double that in some cases for a small glass of coke. Not all people want to drink alcohol all night, especially people who want to be responsible drivers, diabetics or other customers who just prefer not to drink beer and spirits."

A list of the most expensive pubs to purchase a soft drink in each area will be published once all the data has been processed.

ENDS

• chrishamer@barnsley.gov.uk

Issued by Gary Gerrard, Press Office, Tel: (01226) 773443
Email: garygerrard@barnsley.gov.uk