Their return has helped put the pub chain back into profit as it finally gets over the pandemic, according to chairman Tim Martin.

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He told The Sun: “In the immediate aftermath of restrictions lifting it was the young people who would brave it out, but now older age groups have been returning and that has been the main thing.

“We’re back to selling more pints of traditional ales, Guinness and cider, which typically is consumed by the older guys.”

The return of the pub regular means JD Wetherspoon, which has 826 pubs across the UK, is back in the black for the first time since the pandemic.

Profits for the year to the end of July were £42.6million, compared with a loss of £30.4million last year.

Total sales rose by 10.6 per cent to a record £1.9billion.

Mr Martin also suggested that the price of pints would not rise too much higher as inflationary pressures were starting to ease.

But he warned: “I’m not expecting any price reductions.”

Mr Martin also called on the government to reform tax rules on food and alcohol in pubs.

Over the past 35 years, pubs have lost half their beer sales to supermarkets, which pay lower rates of VAT, he says.

He added: “Having tax policies that favour supermarkets over pubs can only end in tears.”