Peterborough Beer Festival boasts 'longest bar in Britain'

The organisers of a beer festival claim their bar is the longest in Britain - if not Europe.

The bar at the annual Peterborough Beer Festival runs to 105m (345ft), with visitors able to choose from 150 breweries on tap.

The Peterborough branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) says the event is the largest to date it has held.

Festival spokeswoman Raeanne Elliott says it "definitely has a community atmosphere".

The Peterborough Beer Festival is in its 44th year - and runs until Saturday at the city's Embankment.

More than 25,000 people are expected through the gates during the five-day event, with more than 500 varieties of beer on offer.

Organisers say 56,000 pints of cask-conditioned ale could be sold across the week.

But the bar itself could prove to be the biggest draw.

Ms Elliott added: "It's definitely the biggest bar in the country.

"The next biggest is at Tottenham Hotspur's ground and that's only 65m (213ft) so it definitely smashes that.

"It might also be the longest one in Europe. There's one in Germany but we think that is made up of different cafes and bars."

The beer festival, staffed by 300 volunteers, returned last year to Peterborough after a break of two years due to the Covid pandemic.

Ms Elliott said the event brings brewers, publicans and their customers together in the city, and helps to "keep the industry going through challenging economic times".

"Our volunteers come from everywhere," she said. "There's even one guy who has come from Helsinki. There's camping for them and it's very friendly.

"It's definitely a community atmosphere, family and dog friendly, people keep coming back year after year and it's so lovely to see everyone again."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected] or get in touch via WhatsApp on 0800 169 1830