NOT long ago, the venues thriving in towns like Bournemouth were “vertical drinking establishments” where people downed as much lager is possible.

But coffee shops and restaurants are now in the ascendancy as the number of pubs declines.

Figures from the Local Data Company and the BBC showed the number of town centre bars, pubs and nightclubs in British downs fell by around 2,000 from 2011-16, while cafes, fast food outlets and restaurants rose by 6,000.

Peter Moody and Rob Hazell set up Flirt cafe bar at the Triangle in 2011.

Mr Moody said: “I think the move towards this has been going on for a while. Not everybody wants to have alcohol, or some people in a group don’t want to have alcohol. Particularly if you want a hot drink, to go to a traditional pub and order a coffee, you feel a bit odd.”

He said the rise of coffee bars coincided with a boom in specialist ale houses.

“I think there’s a move away from going to big, brash bars and just getting tanked up,” he added.

“I think people’s taste in bars is becoming a bit more discerning.”

The digital and creative industries have helped make it fashionable to work in coffee shops.

Fleurie Forbes-Martin, marketing and communications manager for Salad Creative in Poole, said: “I often use local coffee spots for short meetings. Generally, they tend to offer an environment with some character and buzz but not enough to distract you.

“Similarly with clients or potential clients, coffee shops offer an informal space to share conversations that dip in and out of work, family and less critical subject matters. There’s something charming about the smell of arabica beans and the occasional interruption by a dog that’s come to say hello.“In my own time I drop into spaces like South Coast Roast to find a slice of peace when the rest of life is bustling to shut myself away and get my head down into a good book so there’s no wonder they’ve become increasingly popular work spots.”

In Bournemouth yesterday, Nicky Green, 18, first year marketing and communications student at Bournemouth University, said there were too many chain coffee outlets.

She added: “I was looking to have a pub lunch with my family when they came down and couldn’t find a pub that wasn’t part of a chain.”

Wagnea Pontara, 40, who works at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, moved from Brazil 18 years ago. “ I visit both pubs and coffee shops a lot,” he said.

Adam Read, 50, Mark Witchell, 47 and Paul Clargo, 29 from Wales, are in Bournemouth to work on the BH2 leisure complex. They said there were not enough pubs, and Paul pointed out that pubs served hot drinks too.

“We like the pubs. We got loads of pubs in South Wales,” he said.