Local ale to be reinstated at pub

Harveys Best Bitter will be served at the Lewes Arms from next week

A Sussex beer is to be made available in the town where it is brewed following a campaign by pub drinkers.

Harveys is the county's oldest independent brewery, but its products have been unavailable in recent months at the Lewes Arms, in Lewes.

The pub is owned by the rival brewer and pub group, Greene King, which said last October it planned to replace Harveys Best Bitter with its own beer.

It has now reversed its decision and will permanently reinstate the beer.

The popular local brew was removed by Greene King in December, prompting an outcry from drinkers at the 220-year-old pub, and local Liberal Democrat MP, Norman Baker.

This is without a shadow of a doubt the right decision to take Norman Baker, Lewes MP

In a statement on Friday, the company said Harveys beer had been re-ordered for the pub and would be on sale by the end of next week following a few days of secondary fermentation in the pub's cellar.

It acknowledged the unique place that the Lewes Arms has in the town and said it had underestimated the depth of feeling among local people when the initial decision to remove the beer was taken.

Mr Baker, who won two reprieves for the bitter last year, said he was "absolutely delighted" by the decision.

"This is without a shadow of a doubt the right decision to take.

"I commend Greene King for recognising the special role of both Harveys and the Lewes Arms within the local community and for acting accordingly."

Mr Baker added that the local campaign had "been a wonderful example of how much can be achieved when a small group of people campaign on an issue they feel strongly about".