Pub-fight villagers call shots in phone box

Locals in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire, opened “The Dog and Bone” to coincide with their annual fete at the weekend.

A carpenter created a triangular-shaped “bar”, which allowed the barman to stand inside, and also jammed the kiosk door open.

Staff pulled pints from a barrel underneath the bar and on Friday drinkers queued down the pavement before gathering around the kiosk to sup and chat.

“We’ve lost our pub, The Plough, but the parish council has bought the redundant phone box from BT for a pound,” said villager Alistair Janson.

“We normally have a get-together on the Friday night before the start of the fete weekend, so we thought why not think out of the box and drink in the phone box?

“It took a little imagination and a bit of cleaning – and we got some expert help from staff at The British Queen pub in Meldreth, the next village.

“We gave everything away but people made donations to village hall funds. We must have had 60 or 70 people there. It was great. When the beer ran out at about 10.30pm we called time.”

He added: “We might do it again sometime. The powers that be should take note. In Shepreth we can have a good night out in a phone box – imagine what we could do if we got our pub back.

Villagers are campaigning to stop The Plough, which closed after being turned into a restaurant, being converted into a house.