FANCY a burger and pint? Or a hot drink?

You’ll be paying a lot more if you visit a popular pub chain in Mold than if you go to its branch in Ellesmere Port.

A small cappuccino or latte from JD Wetherspoon in Ellesmere Port will cost you a mere 49p, but cross over the border into Mold and the same drink will set you back £1.19.

Main meals at the Mold branch start from £3.49 while in Ellesmere Port the cheapest main meal is £1.99.

Northop Hall councillor Tony Sharps is a regular at Wetherspoon’s Gold Cape pub in Mold and was shocked to see how much less he paid when he visited the Ellesmere Port branch.

He said: “I’ve got two menus from Wetherspoons and have noticed the Ellesmere Port menu is exactly the same as the Mold menu but 50 per cent cheaper. I thought they wouldn’t have price differences on such a scale. Why should customers pay more in Mold?”

But Mr Sharps says the price difference will not persuade him to cross over the border to get a bargain.

He told the Leader: “I’m still going to go to Weatherspoon’s in Mold because the town has a good bus service.

“It’s the lack of competition in Mold which is allowing them to get away with a higher price. There’s hardly any competition in Mold but in Ellesmere Port there’s all the places in Cheshire Oaks. I think it’s quite wrong to have such a big price difference.”

The Ellesmere Port branch of Wetherspoons seems to offer the best prices for the chain in the region. The Leader made inquiries at the chain’s pubs in Chester and Shotton and found their prices were similar to those in Mold.

A company spokesman said: “It would appear that the prices are more expensive in Mold, but it is not an England-Wales distinction. If you went to a pub in the centre of London you’d be paying a lot more.

“We’ve never hidden the fact that prices vary from pub to pub.”