Pubs banished from guidebook after complaints

Almost 400 UK pubs were blacklisted from a well-known guidebook after a rise in complaints about bad service.

The Good Pub Guide 2011 said it excluded 381 establishments, with four in 10 disappointed customers reporting poor service – up from three in 10 last year.

Thousands of people contact the guide each year to report praise or gripes about their pub experiences.

Fiona Stapley, the guide’s editor, said: “There are pubs which have never been in the guide which readers feel they simply must warn people against.”

This year’s criticisms mentioned a smelly roaming dog, grubby or cheerless surroundings, overpowering TVs, piped music, a poor choice of beers and several complaints about shortcomings in food.