“USE us or lose us”: that's the warning a pub in Quidhampton has issued after Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget on Wednesday.

Ms Reeves outlined tax increases to raise £40 billion in her first major fiscal event but pledged to knock a “penny off a pint” in pubs with a 1.7 per cent draught duty cut.

Despite this, Steph and Pete Kershaw, the husband-and-wife team behind The White Horse, shared a post on Facebook on Thursday claiming the price of a pint will rise by around 30p.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves with her ministerial red box before delivering her BudgetChancellor Rachel Reeves with her ministerial red box before delivering her Budget (Image: Lucy North/PA)

Publicans have argued that a 1.2 per cent increase in employer's National Insurance contributions and a higher minimum wage will outweigh the duty cut.

Mrs Kershaw has spoken about her concerns for the future of her pub, which she and her husband took over in November 2023.

She says the pub is already losing money, and now she is worried the Budget will make their difficult financial situation even harder, especially if price rises make punters decide to drink at home to spend less on alcohol.

Read more: ‘I'm disappointed’ or ‘it was necessary’? - Shoppers react to Labour budget

 Read more: ‘Downgrade payment on promises’: Wiltshire MPs react to budget

“We're running at a loss now, so it's going to continue and it's going to get worse,” said Mrs Kershaw.

“We’re managed by Stonegate. If they put the price of a barrel up, we’ll probably lose customers because it’s quite expensive now. People won’t come out to drink as it will be too expensive. 

“We’ve already cut our opening hours down because we’re losing more money than we’re making in some hours of the day.

“I think it’s just a waiting game to see what happens. Running at a loss isn’t ideal, and it can’t continue much longer. We’re a community pub, and we need community support.

“Use us or lose us; If you don’t support us, we can’t run a pub on our finances.”

The White Horse is the only pub in QuidhamptonThe White Horse is the only pub in Quidhampton (Image: Newsquest) She also believes the government should step up to ease the burden on landlords and help keep them in business.

“Our accountant has told us that we should be getting out, but we want to stay until Christmas and see what happens afterwards,” she said.

“It would be a shame to see the pub empty and locked up all the time. Support your local, or we’re going to become extinct.”