The north-south divide... of BEER! Londoners now paying 65p extra for a pint Drinkers in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Country Durham enjoy the cheapest ale But those in London, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Sussex are paying well above the national average of £3.20 a pint A pint of beer costs up to 65p more in the south of England than it does in the north. A survey by the Good Pub Guide showed drinkers in Staffordshire enjoy the cheapest ale at an average of just £2.95 a pint while those in London are forced to fork out £3.60. Drinkers in Derbyshire, Shropshire, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Country Durham can all raise a toast to enjoying prices of little over £3 a pint. Hard to swallow: Beer drinkers are forking out 65p more for a pint in London than they do in Staffordshire But boozers in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Sussex must drown their sorrows with the knowledge they are being forced to fork out far above the national average of £3.20. Good Pub Guide spokesman Fiona Stapley told the Daily Mirror: 'People in Staffs have an eye for value and some licencees go to great lengths looking for bargains for customers. Staffordshire, known for its beautiful canals and potteries, sells some of the cheapest beer in Britain with pints costing an average of £2.95 In the South East, big brewers used to own most pubs, which tended to limit the competition. But I think people in the South East are simply less careful with their money. The Guide predicts that around 4,000 pubs will close in the next year because they are 'stuck in the 1980s', offering indifferent drink and food, according to a new guide. More than 1,000 new pubs are expected to open, often in former hostelries which have been shuttered for years. Watering hole: The Olive Branch pub in Clipsham, Rutland, was named Pub of the Year The guide said standards are improving in pubs, amid increasing vocational training among staff, but it called for pubs to name their chefs on menus as part of moves to close the "absurd status gap" between TV chefs and those working in pubs.