The plight of struggling Streatham pubs is being taken to Parliament by MP Chuka Umunna in a new call to protect landlords.

Mr Umunna is pushing for new regulations to stop pubs being undersold by chains and supermarkets.

Thousands of British pubs have closed in recent years as alcohol prices have rocketed while punters have less to spend.

Mr Umunna said: “Pubs in my constituency and all over London make a vital contribution to community life and our economy.

“The action of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats is having a direct negative effect on jobs in my constituency.”

It is estimated 250 jobs are lost every week through pub closures across the country and Streatham is no exception.

Landlord Peter Lloyd, who has run Taylors in Streatham High Road for 18 months, said: “I had eight staff last year and now I have three.

“I’ve used every bit of equity from my house just to try to stay afloat. Sometimes I work 100-hour weeks because the business cannot afford staff.”

Mr Lloyd said brewery landlords were putting him out of business by charging high prices for alcohol and stock so he could not compete with cheaper prices offered by chains and supermarkets.

Landlords who rent from breweries like Mr Lloyd are legally-bound to buy from their brewery at whatever price they charge.

Removing this so-called “beer tie” is one of the steps suggested by Mr Umunna to help pubs.

Five Bells landlord Paul Crummey said he could buy his best-selling lager at cash-and-carry for almost half the price his brewery charges.

He said: “The customer on the high street cannot understand we are more expensive because we have no choice.

“Hopefully something will be done, but I really cannot see it. Sitting tight is all we can do.”

Neil Williams, a spokesman for the London division of the British Beer and Pub Association, which represents pub companies, said problems were not related to the beer tie, which, he said, "had been around for hundreds of years" He said: "It is a business model that has stood the test of time.

“It creates lower start-up costs for entrepreneurs in the pub trade and one of the consequences of that is they will may more for their beer.”

He added taxation on beer was the problem.

He said: “We recognise there are things to do to make it work better and we are in the process of the moment of implementing a wide range of reforms.”

On Mr Umunna’s proposal he said: “The Government decided as recently as November it was not going to do that. It feels the quickest way to get change was enhanced self-regulation rather than legislation.

“We want a system that is very responsive.”