New figures published by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) have revealed that the rate of pubs closing their doors has slowed from 52 a week to 39 a week.

Despite hopes that the sector's fortunes may be starting to improve, the BBPA said "significant pressures" still face pub landlords as more than 1,000 pubs shut during the second half of 2009. According to the BBPA, a total of 2,365 pubs were forced to close across the UK during 2009, which now means more than that 6,000 properties have shut since the Licensing Act came into force in 2005.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: "Continuing pub closures, and the five per cent per cent decline in pub beer sales, confirm that pubs are not out of the woods yet. "In the current climate, the last thing pubs need is a higher tax bill in the Budget. This won't help the public finances either, as closing pubs, job losses and falling beer sales mean less tax revenue for the Treasury."