Why are so many pubs closing down?

[Spangles1963]

I was listening to a radio phone-in programme last night about the number of pubs in Britain closing down. Apparently it's an average of 20 per week! Now,I'm not a regular pub visitor nowadays,although I was in my twenties and early thirties (in my mid 50s now).I probably go to a Wetherspoons about once every couple of months these days. But I was shocked to hear this figure quoted. At this rate,there'll be none left within a few years. Just out of interest,I did a tally of how many pubs I could think of in the area I live that have closed down in the last few years. It was 8! Various factors have been blamed for the demise of pubs,from the smoking ban,to the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets. What do MNers think is the reason,and has anyone else noticed so many pubs closing down near where they live?

Actually this is a very missleading thread. There are 16000 more licensed premises in the UK than there were a decade ago.
Pubs might be closing, but wine bars and cafe bars are opening at a faster rate than the pubs are shutting.
We are changing the way we drink. Many folk like to go out and eat with a drink rather than swilling endless pints of beer in the pubs that their great grandfather drank in.