Cheers! Locals toast booziest title

Cheers! A Powys town has won the title of being the "booziest" place in the UK.

Residents of Rhayader will never go thirsty, as a study by the More or Less programme on Radio 4 claims the town has the highest pubs to people ratio in the country.

With 12 pubs and a population of only 2,075, it works out as one pub per 173 people.

Mary Collard, who owns the Lion Royal Hotel in the town, said: "I guess this makes us the booziest town in the country.

"It's a bit of a dubious honour, but it is something we should embrace as it has links with the history of this beautiful area."

Mrs Collard said she believed the high number of public houses stems from the turn of the century, when around 1,000 workers came over from Ireland to begin work on the Elan Valley Dam.

She said: "There were no JCBs and mechanical items then. They were men who worked with a shovel and pick and at the end of the week they would be given their pay packets and want to go off and have a drink.

"I believe that in those days there were some 34 pubs in the town, so now to have 12 isn't so bad."

Mrs Collard has been at the Lion Royal since 1959 when she moved to the area with her husband and has continued to run the pub alone since his death in 1997.

"The pub trade in Rhayader is still very successful despite reports that is getting worse around the country," she said.

"Considering the amount of people in the town, I think they are very loyal to the pubs and come back and support us every week."

Photo by Ernie Husson (Marina Gallery)