THE FAMILY of publican and brewer Paul Conroy rallied round when injury threatened production of his popular real ales.

Mr Conroy damaged tendons in his right thumb in an accident pouring a pint at The Grey Horse, in Consett, County Durham, only weeks before the pub's beer festival.

Not wanting to disappoint real ale enthusiasts who had planned to head to the pub this weekend, Mr Conroy decided the show must go on.

With the help of his wife, Rosaleen, her youngest daughter, Siobhan, and brother-in-law Martin Regan, production was stepped up at the Derwentrose brewery to ensure there was plenty of beer available for festival-goers.

It guaranteed that a notable landmark was achieved, as the 100,000th pint produced at the on-site micro-brewery was served up on the first day of the festival, on Saturday.

Mr Conroy said he owed a lot to his helpers after his injury.

He said: "It was a freak accident, but it cut my thumb very badly and I needed an operation.

"It has left my hand like a claw and it is going to take until Christmas to heal properly.

"We wondered if it would affect the festival, but we thought we had to go on with it, as some people had even booked holidays around it.

"I can only thank everyone who has pitched in."

Thirty-two real ales, many guest beers from breweries from as far away as Buckinghamshire, the Isle of Man and Scotland, are available at the festival.

Mr Conroy said he expected nearly 3,000 pints to have been drunk at the festival, which runs from noon today.