Boris calls on Londoners to back their local

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called on Londoners to celebrate cask ale and support their local pubs.

Speaking at the King's Arms in Tooley Street near London Bridge, where he pulled a pint in aid of Cask Ale Week he described pubs as a British institution.

"I'm happy to pull a pint during Cask Ale Week and celebrate our national tipple. The traditional British pub is a unique cultural institution and cask beer is one of the things that makes them special.

"When you order your pint, you're not only supporting your local pub, but also the British brewers who craft the beer and the British farmers who grow the barley and hops," he said.

He added:"There is nothing better then chatting to an old friend over a pint of bitter.

"We should encourage people to enjoy the atmosphere while of course drinking responsibly because pubs are a great London institution."

He added that cask ale should be celebrated in society because it was rarely the cause of alcohol related problems such as binge drinking.

" I don't think that people that binge drink go for beer. They go for the stronger stuff. Cask ale is a more companionable drink."

Greene King brewing director Steve Magnall said: "Cask Ale Week is a fantastic opportunity for British pubs to show off their best asset - a fresh, natural product, bursting with taste and flavour, one that finishes maturing in pub cellar and is therefore not possible to get at home.

"It's great to have Boris pledge his support for cask beer - he is clearly a man of discerning taste. There's a growing interest in the variety and quality of fantastic cask beers that this country has to offer and if his voice encourages a few more people to get down to their local and enjoy a pint of our national drink then he's done us proud."