Newport has lost 15 of its pubs since 2010, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Some of those pubs have been converted into residential premises, while others remain empty and derelict.

Closures in the city are representative of a national trend – across the UK 5,745 pubs closed in the same eight-year period.

Pubs have been pointing the finger of blame at the taxman, complaining about the duty on beer, VAT levels and the cost of business rates.

Britain’s Beer Alliance, a group of organisations in the pub and brewing sector, has started a campaign called Long Live the Local, which encourages people to petition their MP to have beer duty reduced.

A change in consumer habits, with people drinking at home more often, has also been blamed for fewer people visiting pubs.

Ms Simmonds said that many now offered much more than just a drink.

She said: “Pubs have responded to changing drinking habits with a more diverse offering, such as coffee, live music, Wi-Fi, creating experiences and food.

“Pubs now serve one billion meals a year and are at the forefront of modern British cooking. They also have 50,000 bedrooms.”

Camra, the campaign for real ale, said that pubs play a vital role in communities.

Tom Stainer, the group’s chief communications officer, said: “In many areas and villages, they provide the last remaining public meeting space, with meeting halls and post offices already lost.

“They also create jobs and bring money into local areas, which tend to be spent in the local area, as compared to large chain cafes.

“Many pubs help to support the night time economy in town centres and create safer communities after nightfall.”

There are 21 areas of the country that avoided the nationwide decline and have more pubs now than they had in 2010.

Top of the list is Hackney, in East London, which has a thriving nightlife fuelled, in part, by craft beer. It had 55 more bars in 2017 than it did in 2010.