PINTS in Oxfordshire are among the cheapest in the South East but some city centre drinkers will soon be paying a whopping £12 for their tipple.

A Good Pub Guide survey revealed yesterday that a pint in an Oxfordshire pub will set you back £3.74 on average.

That's 66p per pint cheaper than drinking in Surrey which, at £4.40, has overtaken London as the most expensive place to buy a pint for the first time.

But one popular Oxford pub will soon be offering pints for four times the cost of the average.

The Pint Shop on George Street have secured a barrel of the sought-after Cloudwater NW Dipper, which sells for £12 a pint, and expect to be offering the drink to customers in two to tree weeks time.

Ross Phillips, the pub's general manager said: "You're not supposed to drink it by the pint because it's over eight per cent but if somebody desperately wanted one then we would sell it.

"It's one of the best beers in the UK and that's how much it costs to produce.

"We expect it to sell out in three days, people track these things on apps and forums and will come in straight away when they hear we've got it.

"I would happily pay that for a beautifully crafted beer, but I'd only drink a half.

"How people drink beer is changing. We specialise in drinks that you can savour - our customers come in for two or three halves, not seven pints."

The survey revealed that pint prices in Oxfordshire are up 12p on last year.

Dave Richardson, the spokesman for Oxford Branch of CAMRA said that drinkers should not compare prices in independent pubs to those found in chains.

He said that although people will expect high prices in city centres, drinkers may stay away from rural pubs if the price goes above £4 a pint.

Britain's cheapest pints can be found in Herefordshire and Yorkshire for £3.31 each, according to the poll.

Archie Orr-Ewing whose pub The King’s Head Inn near Chipping Norton was named pub of the year this week said his prices were between £3.50 and £3.70 a pint and keeping them low was key to the success.

He said: "People are always sure to notice when we have to put them up."