Pub landlords are charging unsuspecting punters as much as 82p more on the cost of a half pint, research suggests.
Almost 10 per cent of pubs are charging between 41p and 50p extra for a half pint, according to a poll conducted by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
The research suggests that some boozers are charging £2 for a half, while a pint of the same beer costs £3.
One of the worst culprits was a pub charging £4.25 for a pint, and £2.95 for a half pint – a hike of 82.5p.
Nearly one in two pubs adds between 6p and 20p to the price of a half, according to the poll.
CAMRA has demanded an end to the “unfair” extra charges.
The group surveyed 59 pubs and found that a third did not display a price list.
Chief campaigns officer Jonathan Mail said: "If you buy a half pint in a pub you might be expecting to pay a price broadly in line with the proportional cost of a pint, but in fact you might end up paying 50p more per half pint than you expect.
"CAMRA recognises that there may be a need for pubs to round up to the nearest five pence.
“However, the wide difference in premium added suggests that some pubs are unfairly penalizing customers trying to drink responsibly by choosing half-pint measures and in some cases obscuring this mark up by not clearly displaying prices."
