REVEALED: This is the busiest time to order a pint while watching football in Portsmouth

You might struggle to get a pint at half-time during the World Cup Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

The number of pints pulled in our city’s watering holes soar when England are playing, with fans spending 195 per cent more on drinks during the half-time interval than usual.

And the research showed that the busiest time to order a pint is four minutes before the second half kicks off, when on average 2,000 customers are being served per minute throughout the country.

Payment provider Worldplay’s analysis of UK consumer spending data during major football tournaments found that Britain’s pubs are on average 127 per cent busier when England are playing, with takings topping £3.5 million during the 90 minutes of the match alone.

Portsmouth’s pubs are the seventh busiest in the UK during Three Lions games, according to Worldplay’s data, with Bournemouth coming on top as spending jumping by 500 per cent at half-time.

But if you are looking to avoid the queues on match day, Brighton and Hove is the ideal place to watch the World Cup in our region with demand only increasing by just 25.3 per cent.

Steve Newton, Executive Vice President, UK and Europe of Worldpay said: ‘Pub operators and fans alike will be praying that the Three Lions avoid a repeat of their last World Cup campaign.

‘It’s been a mixed start to the year for the pub industry according to the latest BBPA Beer Barometer, but the World Cup, along with an exciting summer of sport, could help landlords to boost the coffers.

‘Operators will need to get their strategy right to take advantage of the football frenzy, particularly during the half-time rush in the busiest parts of the country like Bournemouth.

‘Updating your till technology is one way to speed up service. Arming staff with mobile point of sale is an efficient and flexible way to ease pressure around the bar and serve customers directly at the table.

‘Enabling customers to order ahead for half time and offering a safe and secure tab option are also important for creating that seamless service to keep the punters happy. But the innovation doesn’t need to stop there – we’ve seen one pub even introduce two-pint glasses to help cut queues at peak times!’