Bob Growcott says increased costs are strangling the finances of Britain's once vibrant club scene.

Mr Growcott, secretary of the Brigham and Cowan's social club, in Brigham Place, South Shields, says that while his club is one of the most successful in the country – bringing in £100,000 profit a year – many others are struggling to survive.

He said: "The first nail in the coffin was the closure of the shipyards.

"Without quality jobs, people don't have enough money or morale to regularly go to a social club.

"But despite membership dwindling across the board, the government have piled more and more pressures on clubs which are trying to keep their head above water."

He says that while many drinking establishments have put down their problems to the smoking ban, the new cigarette laws – which came in to force July 1, 2007 – are only the latest blow to the industry.

He said: "Things were bad long before the smoking ban. Soaring energy bills, minimum wage hikes, rising insurance costs and mortgage increases have all hit social clubs hard.

"Supermarkets charge prices which are well below general buying costs, and even clubs which can offer a pint for £1 would struggle against big chains which can buy in bulk."

He added: "The clubs have always been the centre of the community, catering for all ages from the youth to the elderly.

"It would be a loss to the whole area if we saw clubs in South Tyneside closing."