DRINKERS downed a staggering total of 6,480 pints of beer as this year’s Stourbridge Beer Festival broke all records.

An estimated 1600 people attended the annual three day bonanza, making it the most successful ever in it’s 16 year history.

It took a total of 60 volunteers from the Stourbridge and Halesowen branch of CAMRA to man the pumps.and spokesman Simon Hanson claimed: “It went extremely well and we had an excellent turn out, “We had a total of 90 beers available and the amount of pints consumed doesn’t include the ciders and perrys that were on offer!

The figures achieved at the festival only underline the rising popularity of real ale and coincides with a new publication from CAMRA entitled Britain’s Best Real Heritage Pubs which goes on sale this Monday.

It provides an illustrated celebration of pub interiors from rural time-warps, Victorian and Edwardian drinking places and inter-war boozers that have hardly altered over the past 80 years.

CAMRA have worked with English Heritage for over 20 years to produce this publication which features several local pubs, including the Bell & Cross, at Holy Cross in Clent.

Other local pubs featured are the Shakespeare in Dudley, the Waggon and Horses at Oldbury, the Beacon Hotel and the Britannia in Sedgley plus the Old Swan at Netherton, which is better known as Ma Pardoe’s.

Copies of the book can be obtained on-line at www.camra.org.uk/shop