London no longer most expensive place to buy beer

London is no longer the most expensive place to buy a pint, a new study says.

For the first time, Surrey has taken over the capital as the most expensive area to buy a drink, with the average pint costing £4.40.
According to the Good Pub Guide, Herefordshire and Yorkshire have the cheapest pints at £3.31.

The difference in price for a pint of beer is now more than £1 across the country, with the average tipple costing £3.60 - up by 13p on 2016.
Other cheaper counties where drinkers have a reason to raise a glass include Shropshire at £3.33 a pint, Derbyshire at £3.36 and Cumbria and Worcestershire, both at £3.38.
But it was bad news for people in Sussex, who pay an average of £3.82, while Hertfordshire comes in at £3.81 a pint and the Scottish Islands at £3.80.
Beer in pubs brewing their own brands was typically £3.09 a pint.
'Entrepreneurial spirit'
The guide also said that increasing numbers of pubs are offering accommodation, food and outside catering services, taking business away from restaurants.
Some pubs are also offering delis, book clubs, live music and conferences, it said.
Editor Fiona Stapley said: "You name it and pubs have thought of it.
"It's this entrepreneurial spirit that will keep pubs alive and kicking for years to come, despite all the doom and gloom around."