Railway Hotel

If you're one of those people who's been wondering what happened to the 24-hour drinking society, then look no further.

Nigel Jones, owner of the Railway Hotel, has become used to 6am finishes in recent months (just around 3am on Mondays and Tuesdays), as the pub carries out its pledge to the local residents to provide a focal point for the

community for as many hours as there is demand.

But with privileges come responsibility, and Jones has introduced a number of safeguards to ensure all-night drinking doesn't become a binge-fest.

"We have a rule of no doubles and no shots after 11am, so it's no spirits without a mixer. We also won't serve a drink to anyone who's got a full one already and we don't allow big rounds that leave people with a new drink when they've already got one."

The late-night regime has also seen Jones, who left a career in IT to take on the freehouse three years ago,

introduce food for the first time.

"The food runs until 3am and it's basically night-time food - pizzas, kebabs, burgers. All the sorts of things you could get from a takeaway. We even get people coming in just for food in the early hours."

Dry sales still only account for 5% of the turnover, but committing the pub to cask ale and embracing technology such as the Itbox and Buzz Time has helped increase

takings by four times since Jones arrived.

The Railway Hotel has had no railway since the line closed in the 1960s and is no longer a hotel, but its ability to move with the times make its recognition well deserved.