Thursday 23 June 2016 4:12 pm

Home nations Euro 2016 game between England and Wales last Thursday drove London pub sales nearly 300 per cent

Pubs turned out to be the true winners of last Thursday's England v Wales Euro 2016 battle, as the match drove trading in London pubs up by almost 300 per cent.

Takings across the capital surged 296 per cent during the home nations game, in which England won 2-1, compared to an average of 163 per cent across the UK.

This compares to a much more modest 18 per cent uplift during the England vs Russia match the week before, according to data from worldwide payments processor Worldpay, showing how much fans got caught up in the local rivalry.

However, UK pubs were still left toasting the Euro opening weekend – the sporting event's kick-off drove an estimated 26 per cent surge in revenues compared to an average weekend in June.

Bolton was by far the standout performer of the match. Takings in the city surged by an incredible 987 per cent during the group-stage encounter.

Watering holes in Wales were also packed to the rafters, with trading in Swansea and Cardiff rising by 426 per cent and 418 per cent respectively.

Dave Hobday, managing director of Worldpay, said:

With all three British teams through to the knockout stage, pubs and bars are shaping up to be the undisputed winners of this year’s competition.

The enormous boost in business shows that if bar staff in Bolton and landlords up and down the country are ready to manage the masses, they can truly benefit from big sporting occasions and events. We are all hoping for a strong showing from the Home Nations in this year’s competition, but it will be the pubs cheering British success if our teams make it through to the quarter finals.

Evening takings in pubs across the UK were also up by 41 per cent last Thursday, as football fans toasted Northern Ireland’s historic win against Ukraine.

Of course, not everyone has been gripped by the fortunes of British teams at the Euros. Pubs in Preston saw their takings fall by five per cent during England’s match against Wales, while pubs in Bradford were 20 per cent less busy than normal during England’s opening match against Russia.