Revealed: How punters are paying more for soft drinks than a pint of beer at ... trends now
Punters could be paying more for soft drinks than a pint of beer at some London boozers.
Drinkers visiting pubs in the capital can buy a pint of Ruddles IPA for up to 62p less than a glass of orange juice, MailOnline can reveal.
It comes as The Alexandra, near Clapham Common, faced backlash after furious punters found they were charging nearly £5 for a pint of Diet Coke.
Outraged pub-goers have also lashed out at the eye-watering price of beer in recent weeks, with lagers now hurtling towards the £9 mark.
But MailOnline found that there are at least 27 JD Wetherspoons where Londoners can buy an alcoholic beverage for less than a soft drink.
Venues such as The Walnut Tree in Leytonstone serve a pint of Greene King Ruddles IPA for £1.79, while offering customers a 398ml glass of orange juice for £2.41
In a handful of pubs - such as a The Surrey Docks in Rotherhithe - pints come even cheaper, totaling as little as £1.73, meaning they cost less than a small glass of Pepsi in the venue (£1.75)
MailOnline can reveal today that there are at least 27 JD Wetherspoon venues where Londoners can buy an alcoholic beverage for less than a soft drink (information sourced via the Wetherspoon app)
According to the Wetherspoon app, venues such as The Walnut Tree in Leytonstone and The Half Moon in Mile End serve a pint of Greene King Ruddles IPA for £1.79 or £1.90, while offering customers a 398ml glass of orange juice for £2.41.
And in a handful of pubs - such as a The Surrey Docks in Rotherhithe and The Watch House in Lewisham - pints come even cheaper, totaling as little as £1.73 and costing less than a small glass of Pepsi (£1.75).
The price of a pint of Diet Coke in The Alexandra was fractionally shy of the average cost pub-goers in the UK splash out for a pint of lager, which is £4.80.
But it is significantly more than buying the drink in shops, with a two-litre bottle of Diet Coke at Tesco costing £1.85, while in Sainsbury's people can buy a pair of two-litre bottles for £3.50.
Retail Expert Zoe Adjey tried to explain the soft drink price hike to MailOnline: 'For many years, it has been a peculiar anomaly that premium soft drinks are more expensive than mid-range alcoholic beverages.
'The higher price of alcoholic beverages can be explained by the fact that they are subject to taxation and duty, whereas carbonated beverages and orange juice are not.
'The exact reason for this pricing discrepancy has never been definitively established. It could be attributed to the fact that alcoholic beverages attract more customers, or it may be due to the lower turnover of non-alcoholic or soft drinks.
'Pubs are under immense pressure to generate more income, and they should consider this pricing anomaly as an opportunity to attract the non-alcoholic market and expand their customer base.'
The ballooning cost of drinks at Britain's beloved boozers have left punters worried - and accusing
