The company took over rival Jennings last year

The company, which owns over 2,400 pubs, also announced that it was changing its name to Marstons, after its most popular beer brand.

Profit growth was driven by its pubs business - earnings at its 1,900-strong Union Pub Company arm rose 23.3%.

Beer profits were flat, in line with a 2% decline in the overall UK market.

The company said that trading in the first eight weeks of the new financial year, to 25 November, had been strong.

Wolverhampton & Dudley has adopted an aggressive growth strategy in recent years, buying Burtonwood, Jennings Brothers and Celtic Inns in the past eighteen months.

Although it had been looking at further acquisitions, it said that continued consolidation in the brewing and pub sector had pushed prices to very high levels.