REAL ale drinkers in Durham have named the city's Woodman Inn as their pub of the year.

The venue for successful seasonal beer festivals for the last two years, the Gilesgate watering hole was the unanimous choice of the Durham branch of the pressure group, the Campaign for Real Ale.

Landlord Peter Collins will receive the accolade from last year's winning publican, Mike Patterson, of the Daleside in Croxdale, at a special awards night to be arranged in the near future. Previous winners of the Durham branch award include The Beamish Mary, in No Place, near Stanley, which went on to win the national pub of the year title.