BELHAVEN owner Greene King has revealed its pubs in Scotland are continuing to be affected by the country's stricter drink driving laws, stating that like for like sales would have been higher in its latest financial year had the legal limit not been reduced in December

Greene King, which runs about 200 Belhaven pubs in Scotland, said like for like sales in its retail division rose by 0.4 per cent in the 51 weeks to April 26.

However it said like for like sales would have risen by 0.8 per cent without the impact of the new drink-driving regulations.

Surveys have shown the reduction in the the legal driving limit from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg has had a devastating effect on the pub trade since coming into force on December 5. Greene King said in January that the lower limit had led to Christmas trading being slower than expected, and reiterated that yesterday that the change had continued to weigh on sales in the second half.

Chief executive Rooney Anand said: "We once again traded well over key events, such as Valentine's Day and Easter, as customers celebrated and enjoyed those occasions in our pubs.

"The second half of the year, however, has been tougher than the first half, with more difficult comparatives to last year and the additional impact of new drink driving legislation in Scotland."

Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said it is "really worrying" that companies of Greene King's magnitude are not getting the growth they anticipated on the high level of investment they have made in developing a food-led estate in Scotland.

"I don't hear of any pick-up," he said. "People try and put a good face on it. But when you drill down into it, it is still really bad, especially in rural areas."

Greene King said like for like sales were up 2.4 per cent at Easter and reported record sales of £4m from Valentine's Day. Net income in its Pub Partners or leased and tenanted division was up 3.6 per cent after 48 weeks, while volumes from its brewing and brands vision were 4.1 per cent ahead.

The company said the Competition & Markets Authority would announce a decision on its proposed acquisition of Spirit Pub Company on May 11. The all-share offer values Spirit at £773.6m, and would create the UK's leading managed pub operator, with more than 3,000 outlets around the UK.