Simon Vanderbelt, a publican, had never tipped a full barrel of perfectly drinkable beer down the drain before Covid-19 struck. His micropub and distillery, the Little Taproom on Aigburth Road in south Liverpool, had only been open a week when pubs were ordered to close, forcing him to shut up shop with hundreds of pints still untouched. According to figures released by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) on Friday, he was one of 47,000 publicans who faced the “heartbreaking” task of destroying 70m pints of beer nationwide, enough to fill nearly 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools. “It was tragic, quite a surreal moment,” said Vanderbelt. “It was literally a case of pouring it down the drain. Usually when you get rid of the sludge at the bottom of the barrel it takes about 30 seconds but a barrel of real ale has 72 pints in each one. You’re probably standing there for about 10 minutes or so.” Vanderbelt reckons he has tipped away around £2,000 worth of cask ale and keg beer. He could be forced to discard a further £1,500 of stock, depending on whether pubs are permitted to open at the earliest possible opportunity, on 4 July. The industry has been knocked sideways by lockdown restrictions that have put pubs out of action for more than three months – and potentially far longer – with nearly half now fearing they could close for good. According to the BBPA, some pubs and brewers have found other uses for their ales, supplying it as feed for livestock or for anaerobic digestion machines that make fertiliser. But the trade body said unusable beer and the loss of sales due to the lockdown had had a “devastating” impact. “It’s a great shame that so much great British beer that should have been enjoyed in community pubs up and down the country has gone to waste,” said Emma McClarkin, the BBPA chief executive. “People won’t have a chance to drink it as it will go off before pubs can reopen.” The BBPA’s figure of 70m lost pints was based on an estimate of 10 beer taps each at the UK’s 47,000 pubs, which were ordered to shut on 20 March and cannot reopen until at least 4 July. “Whilst it is good news that some of the beer can be re-used to help out other sectors affected by Covid-19, such as farming, it is still sad that people are unable to enjoy this beer. The need to destroy so much beer really shows how much our brewing and pub sectors have been affected by this crisis.” Nor is throwing away beer as simple as it sounds. In some cases, approval from the water board or local authority is required. And while pubs can reclaim beer duty from what they have already paid to brewers, they have to be able to verify how much they have thrown away. Some brewers have been asking publicans to film themselves pouring the beer away and show the measurements to prove they are reclaiming the right amount. The BBPA has called on the government to offer extra financial support for pubs, who can claim for hospitality sector grants but are still facing grave financial difficulty due to the prolonged shutdown. The trade body wants the government to lift a cap that means pubs of a certain size can’t claim support and extend the grant scheme as long as pubs remain closed. It also wants pubs and brewers to be able to access loans more easily and beer duty to be deferred, something the Treasury has so far refused. “We believe that pubs should only open when safe to do so, but without additional support now – particularly for those who won’t be able to reopen sooner – many more of our nation’s pubs and the brewers that supply them with beer will struggle to survive closure and beyond,” said McClarkin. “The government needs to give our sector much more support.”