[Ken Moss]

The greed of the breweries is killing off our local pubs. In five years' time all we'll have is a raft of gastropubs and town centre wine bars.

We could do much worse than have Wetherspoons take over the dying local pubs. They're a big chain but they know how to look after ale drinkers better than Enterprise Inns or Scottish and Newcastle.

It's a pity that there aren't more free houses, which is a prime example of how pubs that aren't tied to the crippling prices imposed by breweries are actually thriving.