"Alistair Darling is facing calls to use the Budget to help high street pubs. The Chancellor is under pressure to raise taxes this Wednesday with borrowing set to soar to as much as £175bn over the next two years. But retailers and pub owners warn hitting the high street - which the Mirror is campaigning to save - would only mean less cash for the Treasury. Pubs are closing at a rate of nearly six a day. Since March 2008 more than 2,200 have shut, costing 20,000 jobs. The British Beer and Pub Association says this has cost £242million in lost revenue, with each pub paying an average £107,000 tax a year." - The Mirror
"Children calling the Government's drugs helpline are being told that cannabis is safer than alcohol and that ecstasy will not damage their health. Advisers manning the "Frank" helpline are informing callers they believed to be children as young as 13 - but who were really reporters - that alcohol is a 'much more powerful drug than cannabis' and that using the illegal drug recreationally is not harmful because it 'doesn't get you that high'." - Sunday Telegraph
"A pub landlady is auctioning off a toilet seat from her bar for charity - after the Duchess of Cornwall popped in to use her loo. Pint-puller Chris Azerkane is hoping the throne seat will raise a bog profit from Royal fanatics after placing it on eBay. Chris, 52, said she was busy washing up in the kitchen of the Hare and Hounds in Framfield, East Sussex, when her noble guest arrived to pay a visit." - The Sun
"Tenanted pub group Punch Taverns has bought back £15m worth of outstanding bonds as part of efforts to pay down its debt. Punch is finding ways to tackle its £4.5bn debt pile and has been selling off a number of pubs to raise cash. Several hundred of its lessees are said to be interested in buying their pubs back from Punch, and in many cases are waiting to hear whether the pub group is prepared to accept their offers. The company will give an update on pub disposals when it presents financial results later this month." - Sunday Times
"A gut-busting Government campaign is warning binge drinking can make you fat. It is targeting Brits who are supping thousands of calories every year. Health experts warn that just five pints a week adds up to a staggering 44,200 calories a year - equal to more than three week's worth of food for a woman." - Daily Star