'Pub licensee stung for £37,000 water bill'

Pub landlady Caroline Wells was shocked to receive her water bill - for £37,000. Now the 43 year-old she and her husband Shannon, who run the Red Lion, in Overton near Basingstoke, Hants, are embroiled in a row with Southern Water.The company has already reduced the bill to £14,000 and have warned the couple they will have to pay up. Water officials said the huge bill was caused by a leak and ordered the couple to get it fixed - The Telegraph​

Holyrood ministers are due to unveil the Scottish Government's plans for tackling the country's £2.25 billion alcohol misuse problems.It follows a consultation on a package of radical proposals to crack down on drink abuse, such as raising the purchase age in off-sales to 21.Other suggested measures include banning cheap alcohol promotions and minimum pricing for alcohol - The Mirror​

Pub experts have urged the government to scrap a rise in beer tax in the next Budget because of the recession. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) have said an above-inflation rise would be wrong - BBC​

The shopping basket index by trade magazine The Grocer yesterday showed retail prices were 1.3 per cent higher last month than January - and up a hefty 15.4 per cent year-on-year. Worst-hit items were alcohol, canned and frozen foods - The Mirror​

The pub and restaurant operator, Regent Inns, said that like-for-like sales had fallen by 11.7 per cent in the first eight weeks of the year and it warned that a further decline could impinge on its ability to continue as a going concern - The Times​

A man who died after being attacked in a pub car park in a Cambridgeshire village has been named by police. Paul Mansfield, 39, from Cherry Hinton near Cambridge was fatally injured at the Five Bells in the village. Anyone who witnessed the attack or anyone who saw a car speeding away from the car park at the time is asked to contact officers - BBC​