Richard Wells reports on the end of an era in the brewing industry

Their parent company, the Swallow Group (formerly the Vaux Group), has decided to axe the breweries to concentrate on its hotel and restaurant chains.

The Vaux brewery was founded in 1837 and became famous for such tipples as its Highly Nourishing Stout and Indian Pale Ale.

Vaux: "Beloved brewery"

The managing director, Frank Nicholson, fought to save his "beloved brewery" and launched what turned out to be an unsuccessful management buy-out.

In Sheffield, Ward's is the last of the four major breweries to have closed in the past 10 years. It was established in 1840 and remained independent until bought by Vaux in 1972.

Members of the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale held a "funeral march" through the city to mark the brewery's demise.

Their spokesman, Alan Gibbons, said: "This is a very bleak day for the city of Sheffield. We used to have two Bass breweries, a Whitbread plant and the Ward's brewery, and drinkers had a real choice. Now they will have to make do with the bland products brought in from elsewhere."