Premier League football clubs are ripping off thirsty fans by charging too much for a pint of beer, the Liberal Democrats said today.
Prices at all but one of the country's top sides are higher than the national average of £2.76 a pint, the party found, with supporters at Chelsea' Stamford Bridge ground hit hardest by having to shell out £4.
Arsenal, Manchester City, West Ham an
d Fulham all charge £3.50 a pint, while lucky Wigan fans get away with paying just £2.70.
The average price across the Premier League is £3.19 - higher than the average of £3.07 at Premiership rugby union grounds or the generous £2.84 average charged by rugby league's Super League clubs.
Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Don Foster accused the football clubs of "profiteering" and called on them to repay supporters' loyalty by cutting the cost of beer.
"Unfortunately, it comes as little surprise to me that Premier League football fans are, once again, being ripped off," Mr Foster said.
"As if extortionate ticket prices weren't bad enough, top flight football clubs are charging over the odds for a basic pint. This blatant profiteering should not continue to go unnoticed.
"It's outrageous that football fans should be charged so much more than rugby fans - it might not seem a lot, but over the course of a season it soon mounts up.
"When will Premier League football clubs learn to stop taking the loyalty of their fans for granted?"
The Premier pint league£4 - Chelsea
£3.50 - Arsenal, West Ham United, Manchester City, Fulham
£3.30 - Tottenham Hotspur
£3.20 - Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Everton
£3.00 - Manchester United, Liverpool, Stoke City, Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth
£2.90 - Bolton Wanderers
£2.80 - Middlesbrough
£2.70 - Wigan Athletic
The full article contains 323 words and appears in Sunderland Echo newspaper.
