EAST Lothian has lost nearly one in five of its pubs since 2010, according to official figures.

Across the county, about 10 pubs and bars have closed their doors for good.

Among the East Lothian pubs to have permanently closed during this period are the Elphinstone Arms in Elphinstone; The Hub in Tranent; the Bay Horse in Haddington; and The Hayweights, Burgh and Mrs Forman’s in Musselburgh.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in 2010 there were about 55 pubs and bars in East Lothian but by 2017 that had fallen to about 45.

Michael Peters, who is behind The New Pheasant in Haddington – which opened this week at the site of the former Pheasant, which shut in 2009 – was not surprised by the figures.

He said that there were a variety of reasons for the decline in the number of pubs, including the lowering of the drink-drive limit in Scotland in 2014, issues with breweries, and the state of the economy.

Mr Peters felt that there was a real need for pubs in towns and villages and said: “I am not biased but every town needs a pub.

“It is not just for drinking but socialising and the community – nothing would be happening. Most things that happen – golf trips, football, anything like that – it is organised when you are in the pub.

“Where do most people socialise?”

Across the UK, 5,745 pubs closed over the same period, and there are 54 local authorities across the country where 30 or more shut.

Pubs have been pointing the finger of blame at the taxman for their troubles, complaining about the duty on beer, VAT levels and the cost of business rates.

Britain’s Beer Alliance, a group of organisations in the pub and brewing sector, has started a campaign called Long Live the Local with a petition and calls for people to write to their MP to have beer duty reduced.

The latest data from the ONS shows that between 2016 and 2017, 655 pubs and bars across the UK called time for the last time.

In East Lothian there was a slight upturn in that period, with numbers up by about five.

A change in consumer habits, with people drinking at home more often, has been blamed for fewer people visiting pubs.

There are 21 areas of the country that have bucked the decline and have more pubs now than they had in 2010. Top of the list is Hackney in East London, which had 55 more bars in 2017 than it did in 2010.