A WINCHESTER brewer is reviving the tradition of a handpump political poll.

Red Cat Brewing has teamed up with local pubs to invite voters to show their voting intention for the Euro referendum at the pumps rather than the opinion polls.

Brewers Andy Mansell and Iain McIntosh have created ‘Prowler IN’ and ‘Prowler OUT’, variants of the brewery’s most popular ale.

Pubs offering the chance to vote are The Fulflood Arms in Cheriton Road, The Queen Inn in Kingsgate Road and The Plough in Itchen Abbas until the nation’s polling stations close at 10pm on June 23.

Pubgoers will be presented with the choice between ‘In’ or ‘Out’ in ale format, giving a wholly unscientific representation of whether the country might opt to ‘stay’ or ‘go’ as indicated by the patrons of one of this country’s greatest institutions - the public house.

Andy said: ‘The pubs have run beer-based votes before but perhaps never on an occasion of such magnitude for the future of our nation. We would of course like remind voters not only to drink responsibly, but also to vote responsibly, whichever way – in your view - that may be..!”

The handpump polls were first done in the Winchester area at the Horse and Groom pub in Alresford for the 1997 re-election that saw Mark Oaten trounce Gerry Malone.