NewsDigest

The result of a High Court appeal against a magistrate's decision to cut the hours of a Wirral pub is due this week. Lancashire brewer Daniel Thwaites claims magistrates were wrong to reduce the opening hours of the Saughall Hotel in Saughall Massie. The firm claimed the decision was based on speculation and magistrates ignored the principles of the Licensing Act. Residents appealed after Wirral council granted a licence until midnight on Sundays to Thursdays and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

West Yorkshire pub company Suburban Style Bar has more than doubled its estate by buying 10 venues. Suburban has bought eight freeholds and two free-of-tie leaseholds following a £1.6m funding package from the Allied Irish bank. Suburban now has 15 venues in the Suburban Style Bar and Drinkers' Delight brands. A 16th is to open in Leeds this year.

Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises (S&NPE) has bought four new sites in Wales. They include the Riverside Hotel in Machynlleth and three Famous Inns pubs - the Derby Arms at Caergwrle, the Royal Oak at Caerwys and the Crown Hotel at Pwllheli. S&NPE acquisitions director Andrew Cannons said: "Compared with much of the rest of the UK, S&NPE is under-pubbed in Wales and we would like more presence there."

Copper Dragon Brewery, the Skipton-based cask-ale producer, is to double its brewing capacity by moving to a £2.5m site in the town. Funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland helped the brewery relocate to a new 1.8 acre site near the existing Snaygill Industrial Estate. The new brewery means Copper Dragon can accommodate a new 120-barrel brewhouse.

Suffolk brewer Adnams has completed a £3.5m investment in creating one of the most energy-efficient breweries in the sector. The company has hosted the first of a number of visitor days to mark the successful completion of its new brewhouse. The company has spent a total of £10m in recent years improving production facilities.