Has Gen Z’s Guinness obsession ruined the pint for the rest of us?

The great Guinness revival should have been the kind of unqualified success story the British pub trade rarely gets any more. A drink once relegated to the “old man” end of the bar has become the defining pint of a new generation, its creamy dome and slow-setting body turning up everywhere from TikTok feeds to celebrity Instagram posts. Kim Kardashian drinks it. The Princess of Wales has been photographed necking one. You can hardly move for twenty-somethings filming the crema settle at Guinness pilgrimage sites like The Devonshire. Gen Z has given the black stuff something money can’t buy: cultural clout.

But behind the aesthetic pours and viral “perfect pint” hunts lies a more awkward truth. Guinness might be cooler than ever, but it has also become one of the most expensive drinks for pubs to stock – and one of the hardest for cash-strapped young drinkers to justify. At the very moment the stout achieved near-mythic status, the people pouring it and the people buying it are finding it increasingly difficult to afford.

That tension has now erupted into a full-blown price war, with Heineken-owned Murphy’s quietly muscling its way onto British bars by offering something almost unthinkable: a stout that makes pubs more money.

So, what happens when Britain’s most fashionable pint becomes unsustainable for the very people who made it famous?

Guinness’s unlikely cultural renaissance has been building for a while. Its shift from heritage pint to Gen Z calling card is well documented: the TikTok hunt for the “perfect pour”, the obsessive ranking of pubs based on head height and temperature. Guinness has always had brand power, but this was different. It wasn’t loyalty; it was fandom. Guinness has become the matcha latte of the pub: a status drink, endlessly photographed, fetishised for its ritual, and often consumed more for the performance than the pint itself.

The numbers tell the story. Guinness overtook Carling in 2022 to become the bestselling beer in British pubs. It now accounts for one in every nine pints poured across the UK. A drink once dismissed as niche is now a cultural phenomenon.

But success has consequences, and pubs are the ones feeling them. What most drinkers don’t realise is that Guinness is, for many operators, the least profitable drink on the bar. Publicans report that wholesale prices have risen repeatedly, leaving them with razor-thin margins. Speaking to The Times, one pub company figure called Guinness “incredibly expensive”, adding that pubs have “nowhere to turn in a negotiation” because the brand knows it has them in a chokehold. Another said it is “the lowest percentage margin product in most pubs’ range”.

The numbers again are striking. An 88-pint keg of Guinness now costs between £150 and £155, while the equivalent keg of Murphy’s costs £130 to £135 – roughly 20 per cent cheaper. Drinkers might assume Murphy’s is priced lower at the bar because it’s a lesser-known brand; in reality, pubs can’t convince customers to pay Guinness money for a non-Guinness product.

Meanwhile, some London pubs are charging £7 to £8 for a pint of Guinness, while the national average sits somewhere between £5.75 and £5.13, depending on the venue. If ever there was a pint that illustrated the cost-of-drinking crisis, it’s the one that currently tops every bar chart. The irony, of course, is that the more Gen Z has hyped up Guinness, the more its desirability – and scarcity – have nudged the price upwards. When a drink becomes social currency, it rarely stays affordable for long.

And yet, pubs can’t simply remove it. Guinness is more than a product; it’s a footfall generator. It’s a bind familiar to many operators: Guinness makes the least profit, but ditching it risks losing loyal customers altogether. The brand is so powerful, so culturally entrenched, that even when it’s bad for the bottom line, pubs keep pouring it.

This is precisely the vulnerability Heineken spotted. A nationwide shortage of Guinness in late 2024 and early 2025 left pubs scrambling. That’s when Murphy’s moved. Heineken’s sales director, Will Rice, said that “hundreds of new pubs” began stocking Murphy’s during the shortage. By November 2025, the number had risen to 1,550 outlets, according to internal Heineken data. James Nye, managing director of Anglian Country Inns, said that Guinness “keeps putting price increase after price increase through”, adding that the brand is “outpricing themselves in the market”.

Murphy’s isn’t pretending to be anything new. It’s a classic Irish stout, founded in 1856 and bought by Heineken in 1983, similar enough to Guinness in flavour and appearance to satisfy the casual drinker. But its appeal to pubs is obvious: cheaper to buy, easier to make money on, a safety valve during a time of soaring energy costs and labour bills. What Murphy’s doesn’t have, of course, is a small army of content creators breathlessly declaring it “elite” every weekend. And in 2025, that seems to matter almost as much as taste.

Whether it can truly challenge Guinness is another matter. It’s a good product, but it’s not Guinness. And, crucially, drinkers know it.

The Guinness-Murphy’s rivalry isn’t just a competitive skirmish between two stout producers. It’s a symptom of a much bigger change in British drinking culture; one that becomes more apparent the moment you look at the rise of the 60/40 pint.

When a Dublin pub posted a video of its new 60/40 Guinness – a blend of 60 per cent Guinness 0.0 and 40 per cent regular Guinness – it divided the internet instantly. The hybrid pour drops the ABV from the usual 4.2 per cent to roughly 1.7 per cent. For some drinkers, especially younger ones, this was ingenious: all the flavour, less alcohol and presumably a cheaper round. For others, it was “illegal” and “a load of nonsense”. Part of the fury comes from older drinkers who feel the Guinness they grew up with has been hijacked by a generation who treat it like liquid merch.

But the backlash misses the point. The 60/40 pint isn’t a gimmick. It’s part of a broader shift towards moderation, the same cultural current that has driven the rise of low-alcohol beer, no-and-low spirits and the steady normalisation of drinking less. Forty-four per cent of UK adults now choose no-and-low alcohol options, up from 31 per cent in 2018.

When you step back, the contradictions pile up. Guinness is riding its biggest popularity wave in decades, but becoming increasingly unaffordable for the pubs serving it and the people drinking it. Gen Z has turned stout into a cultural obsession while also drinking less alcohol overall. Diageo, the drinks giant behind Guinness, is relying heavily on the stout’s runaway success at a time when its spirit business is struggling, its share price has fallen by more than 25 per cent in a year and it has appointed former Tesco boss Sir Dave Lewis to spearhead a turnaround. Among traditional drinkers, there’s a growing resentment that the younger generation’s glossy Guinness worship has helped push the pint into hype territory, driving up demand, fuelling shortages and turning a simple pub order into a minor performance. Guinness hasn’t changed, but the culture swirling around it has.

The stout boom was supposed to be uncomplicated – a heritage brand reborn through sheer modern relevance. Instead, it has exposed the fragile economics of the British pub, the contradictions of a generation that both drives trends and resents high prices, and the limits of even the strongest brand loyalty when the cost of a pint threatens to outpace its cultural value.

The real question now isn’t whether Murphy’s can dethrone Guinness. It’s whether any pub can afford to keep pouring the pint that Gen Z turned into a phenomenon. If even Guinness feels the squeeze, the future of the British pint may be entering its most precarious era yet.

Sally Rooney: ‘I can’t publish work in UK due to Palestine Action ban’

Normal People author Sally Rooney has claimed she will be unable to publish any new work in the UK while protest group Palestine Action faces a terror ban.

The Irish author, who has two of her novels adapted for TV by the BBC, has been supportive of the activists, saying they are “plainly not a terrorist organisation” and condemned the government’s decision to proscribe them.

She said in August that she intended to use the earnings from her work and her public platform to continue to support Palestine Action.

Now, in a witness statement submitted to the High Court, Ms Rooney said that it is “almost certain that I can no longer publish or produce any new work within the UK while this proscription remains in effect”.

She claimed: “If Palestine Action is still proscribed by the time my next book is due for publication, then that book will be available to readers all over the world and in dozens of languages, but will be unavailable to readers in the United Kingdom simply because no one will be permitted to publish it (unless I am consent to give it away for free).”

Ms Rooney said this would be because her UK publishers are unsure whether they will be able to pay her for her work, due to the risk that she could use this money to support Palestine Action.

She also said that her books may have to be withdrawn from sale as their publication is based on royalties on sales, and the non-payment of the royalties would mean she could terminate the contract.

Ms Rooney’s best-selling work includes Conversations with Friends and Intermezzo.

She added: “If, therefore, [her publisher] Faber and Faber Limited are legally prohibited from paying me the royalties I am owed, my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale and would therefore no longer be available to readers in the UK.”

Following her pledge to donate money to the group, Downing Street said that any support for a proscribed organisation was a criminal offence.

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has taken the government to court over the terror ban, arguing that the impact of the proscription was “dramatic, severe, widespread and potentially lifelong”.

Raza Husain KC, for the claimant, said that the decision by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper to proscribe the organisation in June 2025 was “novel and unprecedented”. He told the High Court: “This is the first direct action civil disobedience organisation that does not advocate for violence ever to be proscribed as terrorism.”

He added that the decision, which Ms Cooper faltered over, was “so extreme as to render the UK an international outlier”.

Mr Husain also told the court that there had been more than 2,000 arrests following Palestine Action’s proscription, which included “priests, teachers, pensioners, retired British Army officers” and an “81-year-old former magistrate”.

During a hearing on Wednesday, scores of people assembled outside the Royal Courts of Justice holding placards which read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. Several demonstrators were carried away by police officers.

Sir James Eadie, for the government, told the court on Thursday that it was for parliament to decide what acts constituted terrorism.

He explained that the home secretary had been advised by a group of security experts that certain actions of Palestine Action did qualify as terrorist acts.

Sir James said the ban “strikes a fair balance between interference with the rights of the individuals affected and the interests of the community”.

The barrister also emphasised that the ban has not prevented people from protesting against Israel’s actions in Gaza or in support of Palestinians.

Vladimir Putin plays piano and wins at judo in 2026 propaganda calendar

Russia has released a 2026 calendar glorifying its leader Vladimir Putin.

The 12-page spread features flattering images of the 73-year-old doing a variety of activities showcasing his machismo including flipping a man in judo, walking through mountains while looking rugged, and playing the piano.

This year’s publication is also accompanied by a series of inspirational quotes including his advice for August, which reads: “My recipe for energy: Sleep little, work a lot and don’t whine.”

His January quote declares: “Russia’s border never ends” in a possible allusion to Ukraine, upon which Putin inflicted a deadly war nearly four years ago.

February, which shows the leader flipping a man in judo, says: “I am a dove, but I have very powerful iron wings.”

While there is no direct mention of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, which has reportedly led to over one million casualties since February 2022, there appear to be other potential references to the conflict.

“I think Russia has become much stronger in the last two or three years because we are becoming a truly sovereign country,” he has said in one.

Other pictures feature Putin astride an automobile while wearing a parka, while the rest show him lighting candles, taking telephone calls, and giving speeches.

The calendars are sold for $3.50 (£2.65) and hang in government facilities and homes, as well as schools, post offices and other public buildings.

Putin became leader of Russia over 26 years ago and has since been accused of war crimes. However, his image is carefully maintained within Russia, where his health and vitality are celebrated as extensions of his powerful leadership.

“This genre is its own kind of art,” Maxim Trudolyubov told the New York Times. “It’s an empire with this ancient emperor who’s been around for decades, so it is supposed to be boring; it is supposed to signal stability, predictability, even if the reality is nothing of the kind.”

Away fans violently clash with police at Aston Villa as goalscorer Malen injured

Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane apologised after his team’s Europa League match at Aston Villa was marred by crowd trouble, but claimed that the club’s supporters were “provoked” by Villa goalscorer Donyell Malen.

Malen scored twice in the first half of the 2-1 win, but the Netherlands international was left bleeding after he was pelted with objects from the away end at Villa Park. Malen celebrated both goals in front of the Young Boys supporters, but received a cut on the head when a cup apparently thrown by away fans struck him on the head.

The match was halted for more than five minutes after Malen’s second goal, as the Young Boys captain Loris Benito appealed to supporters to calm down. Fans also clashed with police, and images captured some fans throwing punches. Officers in riot gear were deployed in the second half.

The Swiss team have a history of fan trouble, and they have been hit with several sanctions from Uefa in recent years. Supporters were fined €28,250 for a similar incident at Manchester City, and around €18,000 for the use of pyrotechnics at Celtic in February, while they were ordered to play a game behind closed doors last season after fans let off pyrotechnics in a match against Inter Milan.

“It’s normal when you score, you want to be with your teammates,” Young Boys manager Seoane said in his post-match press conference. “Maybe it was a small provocation [by Malen], I don’t know. Maybe our fans took it this way. But our fans should not react so heavily.

“The referee asked our captain to go with the supporters, and he was going there to calm [them down] a bit. Some supporters came down to have a talk, and some police reacted like they were going to jump on the pitch, but this was not the intention.

“It’s a pity [to go] from the provocation to thinking they would jump on the pitch. And the result is not nice for anybody. We apologise, I don’t feel good. It’s not how we want to act when we are guests somewhere, and I think nobody wins and I think everybody loses from this situation.”

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery confirmed that Malen was “OK” and said: “We need respect for both sides. It is not necessary to get a moment like we had today. Respect for both sides.”

Villa were keen to assert their authority from the first whistle, and Malen’s effort from range inside four minutes looked destined for the back of the net, only for goalkeeper Marvin Keller to tip the ball over the crossbar.

The home side made the pressure count and grabbed the opening goal in the 27th minute. Youri Tielemans collected the ball on the edge of the area, and had time and space to lift it onto the head of Malen, who guided the ball beyond Keller.

In the aftermath of the goal, Malen and his teammates went to celebrate in front of the away supporters, and objects were thrown towards them. Malen came away from it sporting a cut to the head.

The hosts were going through the gears and had their second three minutes before the break. Morgan Rogers played a neat pass to Malen, who cut inside and dispatched expertly into the back of the net.

As with his first celebration, Malen went towards the away fans, and missiles were again thrown, which caused clashes with police and prompted the referee to stop the game for five minutes.

On the pitch, Villa continued to boss proceedings. They thought they had a third when a long ball over the top was played to Rogers and he squared to Malen, who thought he had a hat-trick, but the assistant flagged for offside and cut the celebrations short.

Young Boys looked to have halved the deficit when Alan Virginius played the ball across for Chris Bedia to convert, but, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside in the buildup.

The visitors did get their goal in the 90th minute, when Monteiro latched on to a pass from Gregory Wuthrich and slammed it into the back of the net, but Villa held on despite late pressure.

Includes reporting from PA

Virginia Giuffre’s ex-husband could join court fight over her estate

Virginia Giuffre’s ex-husband might add his name to the list of those fighting over her estate, lawyers said in an Australian court.

Ms Giuffre was one of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers and also alleged she was abused by the then-Prince Andrew, now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, while a minor.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing, but settled a lawsuit with Ms Giuffre, reportedly for about £10 million, in 2022.

Robert Giuffre, an Australian martial arts instructor, was married to Virginia from 2002 until shortly before her death by suicide in April, at the age of 41.

He could now join as a party seeking access to the estate, alongside the former couple’s sons Noah and Christian, their lawyer Jon Patty told the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Friday.

Court filings show that the two sons applied to manage the estate, but were opposed by Virginia’s former lawyer Karrie Louden and former carer Cheryl Myers.

Mr Giuffre could also join as guardian to their young daughter, Mr Patty said in a short case management hearing.

Mr Patty added that an independent party could be appointed to represent the daughter to prevent a conflict of interest.

The court did not allow publication of the daughter’s name because she is a child.

No representative for Mr Giuffre was present in court and he could not immediately be reached.

Ms Giuffre gained global attention with her allegations that she was trafficked to Andrew.

He was stripped of his titles this year after the release of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which detailed new allegations against the 65-year-old.

Ms Giuffre was involved in at least four lawsuits when she died, according to court filings. But she did not have a valid will so the court appointed an administrator to oversee her estate, effectively reopening the cases.

At the hearing, registrar Danielle Davies heard the list of people vying for access to Ms Giuffre’s estate might grow.

A $10 million defamation claim filed in 2021 by a person associated with Epstein is among the pending lawsuits.

Epstein was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences and killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.

Australian court filings show there are also contests over the rights to Ms Giuffre’s memoir and inheritance claims.

Davies, the registrar, gave the parties until Monday to submit more documents outlining their claims, and said a date for the next case management hearing would be set in 2026.

Cruise through Cajun Country on this unforgettable Louisiana road trip

A circular route from New Orleans takes you north along the Mississippi through Louisiana’s River Parishes to Baton Rouge. Loop through Lafayette and Houma on Highway 90, before returning to New Orleans. Whilst the 300-mile road trip can be done in a week, a fortnight or more best suits the southern laidback spirit to truly discover treasures along the way.

Best planned for early spring, when Louisiana jumps to its feet with music festivals and parties, or in the calmer autumn months when food festivals, gumbo cook-offs, and fall colours light up the oak-lined avenues. Here’s what not to miss en route…

New Orleans gives main character energy, even though the state capital, Baton Rouge, sits just 80 miles west along the river. Start the journey here with a day (or night) lost in the French Quarter, where lacy iron balconies and pastel facades are the backdrop to Jackson Square street performers and jazz music on every corner. Grab a coffee and oh-so-light powdered sugar beignet at Café du Monde, to fuel exploration of the city’s great cultural institutions, such as The National WWII Museum or the evocative Historic Voodoo Museum. Ride the St. Charles Streetcar past moss-draped oaks and stately mansions in the Garden District, or explore the city by foot to find your own adventure.

For a quirky day trip, drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway – the world’s longest continuous bridge over water, according to the Guinness World Records – to find Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs; a curious folk-art installation of animated miniature towns and oddities from the mind of local inventor, John Preble.

Follow the Mississippi River north towards Baton Rouge, with a few stops en route. Explore Houmas House Estate and Gardens: once one of the largest sugar plantations in the country, visitors can now dine at one of the many restaurants and take guided tours showcasing the extensively-restored manor house and expansive gardens. Whitney Plantation, about 30 miles downriver gives a heartbreaking and evocative account of enslavement, and visiting these two plantations gives a sense of how both sides lived.

Baton Rouge emerges like a stately figurehead, rocking on the porch at the top of the Great River Road. A hub for art, music and politics, Baton Rouge is also a food mecca with fine dining, soul food, and the Red Stick Farmers Market – filled with homemade goods on the weekend. The gothic inspired Old State Capitol museum wouldn’t look out of place in a medieval fairytale, whilst climbing the current State Capitol building’s tower unravels views of the Mississippi river snaking through the landscape below.

Drive 55 miles westward, and find yourself in Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge – halfway along Interstate 10. The conservation area protects over 15,000 acres of hardwood forest and swamp habitat; spot alligators paddling through the bayous riverways, bird watch for woodpeckers, wrens and warblers, or just take in the impressive scenery.

Follow the sound of zydeco music down the Interstate to the dance halls of Lafayette. The heart of Cajun and Creole country, Lafayette is the ultimate place to tap your feet to this blend of French accordion and Afro-Caribbean beats. Louisiana’s French history is very much alive, as French conversations linger in the porchlight or come to life in Vermilionville folk museum, the re-creation of a 19th-century Acadiana village. Lafayette is also a food lover’s paradise. Try spicy boudin sausage from a roadside meat market, feast on gumbo as dark as a bayou at dusk, or savor po’boys and crawfish étouffée stew at a local café.

U.S. Highway 90 takes you southeast to the coastal wetlands of Houma. If you like it spicy, make a stop off in New Iberia and follow the pepper-scented air to Avery Island, home to the world’s only Tabasco factory and the botanical Jungle Garden of conservationist and hot sauce founder, Edward Avery McIlhenny.

As you travel further south, sing along with the southern leopard frogs on a guided swamp tour, spot another alligator, or drop into Houma’s Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum to hear the story of shrimpers, oystermen, and how this slice of coastline has been shaped by cultural, industrial and ecological events.

With a suitcase full of memories and joie de vivre, head back to New Orleans. Every mile offers a detour worth taking; from the turbulent history and uplifting music, to watery labyrinths and astounding swamp wildlife. A Louisiana road trip invites you to slow down and enjoy a journey into the true Deep South.

For more travel inspiration and information visit Explore Louisiana

Trump’s golf trips cost taxpayers $71m since January, report says

President Donald Trump has reportedly spent about $71m in taxpayer-funded costs on golfing during his second term, and if his current pace continues, that total could reach $300m by the end of his term.

According to a HuffPost analysis, Trump’s latest visit, on Wednesday, marked his 16th trip to Mar-a-Lago this year, with each trip costing $3.4m in travel and security.

If Trump makes two more trips to Mar-a-Lago in December, his 2025 golf costs would surpass $75m, putting his total for the term over $300m, the outlet said.

During his first term, Trump spent $151.5m in taxpayer-funded golf travel and security.

Besides Mar-a-Lago, Trump made nine trips to his Bedminster, NJ, golf resort about $1.1m each, and one trip to his new Aberdeen, Scotland course, costing nearly $10m in taxpayer funds.

HuffPost’s analysis relies on cost estimates from a 2019 Government Accountability Office report on Trump’s first–term Mar-a-Lago trips. Most of the costs come from military and law enforcement salaries, which haven’t kept up with inflation, so the figures aren’t adjusted to current dollars.

Still, the real costs are almost certainly higher than these unadjusted estimates.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Trump’s known passion for the game is so widely recognized that foreign leaders have brought him golf-related gifts.

In October, Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi gifted Trump a gold-leaf golf ball and tee set, along with a golf club once used by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In May, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa brought golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to the White House in an attempt to ease tensions.

Trump has also used golf as a tool for influence and relationship-building. Politicians and world leaders, from Finnish president Alexander Stubb to US senator Lindsey Graham, have played rounds with him, seeking to win favor or maintain alliances.

Trump’s latest health report also cited his frequent golfing as proof of his physical fitness, framing it as part of an active lifestyle.

At the same time, Trump’s frequent golfing has drawn scrutiny, with a book by former caddies claiming he uses various methods to gain an edge.

Some caddies reportedly nicknamed him “Pelé” after the Brazilian soccer legend, joking that he constantly “kicks” the ball.

Mar-a-Lago trips are costly due to extensive security, including armed boats and Coast Guard patrols, with the biggest expense being Air Force One, which costs $1.1m per four-hour round trip.

Trips to Bedminster cost $1.1m each because Trump uses a smaller 757 instead of a 747.

In contrast, former President Joe Biden’s trips to Wilmington, Delaware, and Rehoboth Beach cost far less than Trump’s golf trips because he used smaller aircraft or helicopters, as the local airport cannot accommodate a 747.

Former President Barack Obama was also known for his frequent golf outings, but they were far cheaper than Trump’s, as he would also use smaller aircraft or play at nearby courses, including on the course at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews.

Trump hasn’t played golf at that course, but took an aerial tour of it Saturday on Marine One, costing taxpayers about $115,000, which isn’t included in the $70.8m total.

Trump famously slammed Obama’s frequent golfing at a rally in February 2016, promising that, as president, he would give up visiting his courses in Scotland and South Florida.

“I love golf, but if I were in the White House, I don’t think I’d ever see Turnberry again. I don’t think I’d ever see Doral again,” Trump said. “I don’t ever think I’d see anything. I just want to stay in the White House and work my ass off.”

However, Trump quickly broke that promise, golfing 293 days at his courses during his first term.

Archaeologists say they have proof humans carved pits near Stonehenge

Archaeologists have said they believe humans are the architects behind a number of “extraordinary” pits near Stonehenge, in a groundbreaking new study.

The true nature of the Durrington pit circle has been debated among academics since its discovery in 2020. But a fresh analysis of the site using exciting new scientific techniques has shown they were likely to be created by determined ancestors, rather than by natural processes.

Made up of a sweep of 20 pits surrounding Durrington Walls henge, just two miles northeast of Stonehenge, the “extensive arrangement” is now believed to have formed a part of a “large, and currently unique, neolithic pit structure”.

The paper, published in the journal Internet Archaeology, analysed 16 of the pit “features” to determine how and when they were made. But due to the size of the features, archaeologists had to use a series of novel methods to come to their findings.

Electrical resistance tomography assessed the depth of the pits and radar and magnetometry was used to analyse their shapes. In order to establish how the pits came to be, they extracted sediment cores and used optically stimulated luminescence to date the soil from the last time it was exposed to the sun, as well as “sedDNA”, which recovers animal and plant DNA from the soil.

They also found repeating patterns in the soil from different parts of the site, which they believe proves that humans must have been involved.

Professor Vincent Gaffney, of the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at the University of Bradford, who is leading the analysis, told The Guardian he believed the new research showed the pits formed an “extraordinary structure” that was likely built in the late Neolithic period.

Of the repeating patterns, he added: “They can’t be occurring naturally. It just can’t happen,” Gaffney said. “We think we’ve nailed it.

“Now that we’re confident that the pits are a structure, we’ve got a massive monument inscribing the cosmology of the people at the time on to the land in a way we haven’t seen before. If it’s going to happen anywhere in Britain, it’s going to happen at Stonehenge.”