A Staffordshire landlord has told how he turned around his business despite the recession by opening a newsagents in a spare room at his pub.

Trade at the Wetmore Whistle in Burton upon Trent was down by 50 per cent, as dozens of regulars lost their jobs in nearby factories.

Landlord Ben Brettell also believes that the ban on smoking in public places has meant that many drinkers have been put off, preferring to stay at home and enjoy cans of beer.

But business picked up after the 33-year-old decided to open a newsagents in a back room, when the paper shop next door closed.

Mr Brettell also serves cooked breakfasts from 8am and puts on live music.

He said: “When the shop next door closed down to become a chippie, a customer asked me if I was going to start selling papers. In my infinite wisdom, I then decided to open a newsagents at the back.

“Things were extremely bad before. Sales had already dropped because of the smoking ban, and the recession has meant people have stayed at home. The shop is not only making us money but people are coming in to buy a paper, smelling the food, having a bite to eat and often a pint.

“You have to keep coming up with novel ideas to survive. When I was in Kilkenny in Ireland I went to a lot of pubs, and many of them would have a bar on one side and a sweet shop on the other. You have to think outside the box or you will die.”

The shop opens for 12 hours from 6am every day, while the pub is licensed to sell alcohol from 8am until 2am.