If soft drinks have hard-to-swallow prices, then the customer should know before he or she orders

Consumer Minister Melanie Johnson

And the government has drawn up proposals which could force landlords and restaurant-owners to mark out their prices in a clear legible way.

The government has welcomed the industry-wide guidelines to bring in visible easy-to-read price lists so customers are not shocked by prices.

Consumer Minister Melanie Johnson said: " If soft drinks have hard-to-swallow prices, then the customer should know before he or she orders.

"These measures should create fairer, clearer soft drinks pricing in pubs, the country.

Tougher stance

She spoke as she launched a consultation on new Department of Trade and Industry proposals for prices to be marked in a clear way.

The government wants to toughen regulations so that all outlets will have to display at least five soft drinks in an unambiguous and identifiable way.

A survey conducted by the government two years ago found the average price of fruit juices in pubs were three and a half times as expensive as the equivalent in supermarkets or off-licences.

Customers might not find soft drinks much cheaper than alcohol

But the Office of Fair Trading rejected calls for an investigation because there was no sign of abuse of market forces.

It did find that prices were lower where there were properly displayed.

It is expected that Friday's proposals by the DTI will become law by the end of next year.

Director of Communications, Mark Hastings from the British Beer and Pub association said: "The industry is committed to providing clear, concise and precise price information."