NEARLY a quarter of pub landlords across Lancashire are under 34, new figures showed today.

Research reveals just under a half of all bars were established in the past three years, boosted in part by the number of younger landlords entering the industry.

And the number of pub and bar owners aged 25 to 34 has increased by a quarter in the last three years.

The industry has also seen a 23 per cent growth in turnover – despite fears over the state of the sector.

This growth is despite a decline in the number of small and medium sized pubs in the UK in the last three years.

The research by Barclays also found over half (56 per cent) of public houses are run by at least one woman and 27 per cent only have a landlady.

Michael Hartig, managing director at Barclays in the North West, said: “It’s been long-reported that this is an industry met by challenges for pub owners, however our research shows that this has not deterred the next generation of ‘pub innovators’.

“It’s great to see optimism for growth within this sector.

“Beyond the headlines of pub closures, turnover growth and a rise of new businesses is encouraging.

“There are also a large number of establishments that have managed to sustain and grow their business in the last decade, including those that have renewed their business plans in response to changing customer appetites – the rise in those catering with pub food for example has enabled diversification.”