But judging by the dwindling number of pubs on Preston's streets, more and more people are choosing cheap ale and home comforts over a trip to the traditional local.

As the number of pubs in Preston drops, what can publicans do to stop the rot?

George Jackson, 76, used to be a regular in some of Preston's best-known locals, but the secretary and treasurer of the Preston and District Snooker League has barely set foot inside a pub for years.

He says the drive to modernise was the downfall of the traditional drinking spot, and says landlords would do well to turn back the clock.

The retired science teacher, says: "When I was in my 20s and I had just come out of the Army, I used to go to the Lane Ends Hotel and a pub in Plungington and there was always a vault where you could play darts and dominos and cards.

"There were no women in there and you could go in and swear to your heart's content.

"But then the pubs got rid of them and they ended up driving people out.

"They will never get me back now. I used to go and play crib and doms but a lot of young people these days couldn't even count to three.

"Now a lot of pubs and clubs are getting rid of snooker tables and pool tables and saying they can put the rooms to better use."

Ray Jackson, regional director of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), says landlords need to please a wide range of people.

He says: "Obviously we're not talking about town centre pubs here, but those on the outskirts with a bit of land could have a family room or a play area and have a push on families.

>> Preston's pubs forced into closure

"Some pubs have tried to create restaurants and, to do that, what has had to go is the pool room or the games room."

What is clear though is that the dying trade is a real problem in Preston's pubs.

This week the Evening Post revealed that pubs in Preston are closing down at the rate of one a month.

Several have been converted into accommodation. Many have simply gone out of business and stand empty.

According to latest figures, sales of beer dropped 10% in December 2007 compared to the previous year. Fifty million fewer pints will be sold this month than in February last year.

A study in 2000 found at least 20 pubs a month were closing across the UK. Since then, the pace of closure has increased.

Paul Riley, chairman of the West Lancashire branch of Camra, based in Preston, believes the greed of pub groups is forcing landlords to hike prices, which drives the punters away.

He says: "The landlords are very much piggie-in-the-middle.

"They have no control over the price of beer and the reason a lot of pubs are closing is because of the groups that own them are screwing the landlords so much that they have to charge more for their beer.

Red tape

"Landlords go on courses, they know how to try and encourage people to come in, maybe doing food or things like more pub quizzes and entertainment but, in the end, there is only so much you can do and prices are the main factor."

Lee le Clercq, regional secretary of the British Beer and Pub Association, says: "The Government need to slash duty (on alcohol].

"We have the highest of any of the 42 countries in the EU and yet we have the health lobby saying 'let's tax them even more.'

"The pubs are doing everything they possibly can to stay afloat."

He adds that while running a pub was once the domain of retired ex-professionals like policemen, fewer and fewer people are getting into the trade because an explosion of red tape and regulations has turned being a landlord into a "hard, full-time job."

Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley and vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, says the burden of red tape on publicans needs to be reviewed.

He says: "People need to be far more tolerant about their approach to the pub.

"After the schools and the post offices have gone the pub may be all that is surviving, particularly in many rural areas at the moment.

"Now you have got crazy Brussels which wants to ban outdoor heaters, one of the only things keeping some smokers coming into pubs."

So who can really stop the decline of our traditional pubs? Whether it is landlords themselves or those at the top, what is clear is if nothing is done, the situation is only likely to get worse.

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