A GROUP devoted to saving the few remaining pubs in Slough have told residents to 'use them or lose them' after joining the fight to keep the last pub in Chalvey open.

Members of the Slough CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) branch have promised to support the regulars of the Garibaldi pub, which has been open for business since the late eighteenth century, and have hammered out a warning to armchair drinkers in the town that it is only a matter of time before a pint after work becomes a thing of the past.

Delia Allott, chairman of the Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead CAMRA group, said: "We will certainly be adding our support to the Garibaldi campaign. My message to Slough residents would be to use them or lose them, frankly pubs would not be struggling in the first place if more people supported these little businesses.

"It's a massive shame because pubs are a place where people from different cultures can socialise and mix as a community." Ms Allott also sounded a note of caution after suggesting that closing down pubs could lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour in the borough's streets and parks.

She added: "What people tend to forget is that pubs are a regulated atmosphere and drinking responsibly is controlled by landlords. Although the majority of pub goers are responsible adults the closure of pubs in Slough could lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour from under age drinkers in the area." Langley resident Jeff Ball believes that the main reason behind the rapid pub closures in Slough could be down to the nature of the town's ever changing population.

He said: "When I first started drinking in Slough in 1970 the High Street was chock full with pubs now with less traditional after work drinkers in the town the place is decimated. It seems like Slough has been the worst hit compared to Windsor and the surrounding areas."