Hundreds of bad pubs blacklisted

Hundreds of pubs have been blacklisted from The Good Pub Guide after a rise in complaints about bad service.

The 2011 edition omits 381 establishments, with four in 10 customers reporting poor service, up from three in 10 last year. Among the most common gripes were smelly roaming dogs, grubby surroundings, overpowering TVs, piped music, inadequate beer, bad food, staff shortages and surly publicans. Thousands of people contact the guide annually to report their experiences in the UK's 50,000 pubs. Fiona Stapley, its editor, said: "There are pubs which have never been in the guide which readers feel they simply must warn people against. The genuinely warm and personal welcome found in so many of the guide's pubs has become something of a rarity."

The guide found pub food was 5 per cent costlier than last year, while a pint of bitter was up 4 per cent to £2.80.

The Tempest Arms at Elslack, Yorkshire, was named 2011 Pub of the Year.