Mayor banned from every pub in his own town after row over best way to pour a pint of shandy

A mayor has received a blanket ban from pubs and clubs in his home town following a row described as a storm in a shandy glass.

Licensees voted to bar Tony Cooke, mayor of Barnard Castle, County Durham, from 30 pubs and clubs for 12 months following a pubwatch meeting on Wednesday evening.



The decision to bar Mr Cooke, who is in his sixties and walks with the aid of a stick, came following a year-long dispute between the town’s first citizen and Andy and Sue Hill, proprietors of the Beaconsfield pub in Barnard Castle – following a row over how to pour a pint of shandy.

Mr Race, landlord of the Wheatsheaf in nearby Staindrop, added: “It will no doubt be very embarrassing for the mayor to be barred but we will not tolerate abusive behaviour towards our staff. He should have behaved himself and set a better example.”