HUNDREDS of real ale drinkers flocked to a Ramsbottom pub from as far afield as Norfolk and Wolverhampton to drink a beer festival dry.

The Hare and Hounds, on Bolton Road West, Holcombe Brook, held the indoor beer festival all last week.

The festival was the second of the year, ended on Sunday and offered drinkers a choice from 85 cask ales and four different ciders.

The punters also had the choice of drinking outside the Scottish Newcastle pub at another bar in a converted red London bus that was parked just outside.

The 'Pathfinder' bus, that was built in the early 1960's, was renamed the Bombardier Bus and served a number of beers including Bombardier Bitter.

The pub's landlord Andy Grant, 36, said he was over the moon with the success of the festival and he is on his way to holding the country's largest indoor beer festival.

"It's been packed, I'm really pleased with the support we've had. I held one in March this year and this month's was just as busy if not more so. I want to hold the biggest indoor festival in the country, and if we can manage to do that we'll have people coming from all over the globe."

The festival offered beers from breweries including Three Bees in Blackburn, Picks in Accrington, Bank Top in Bolton, Boggart Hole and Phoenix in Manchester and Leyden in Nangreaves near Bury.