Really, I was a little surprised to see a letter in your columns (The Argus, April 14) bringing up that old chestnut about the price of drinks in a pub.

A public house is a house open to the public. Not only does it have to be granted a licence but there are rules and regulations you have to obey and then there are all the overheads, all of which have to be accounted for even before you open the door.

And, no, tap water isn’t free – it is another cost to the licensee who, generally speaking, as a gesture of goodwill, offers it free of charge to non-drinkers.

But cordials, whether they be lime or any other flavour, are a service just like any other and, yes, there is usually a charge.

And as for “lager and lime”, believe me it’s been factored in.

I have written elsewhere about the problems facing pubs today and I can assure other readers of The Argus that it’s got nothing to do with the price of a lime cordial.

Terry Williams, Elbridge Crescent, Aldwick