Scottish pub has to pull free-drink promotion

A Scottish pub has been forced to withdraw plans to hold a "drink free till first wee" marketing promotion following a spate of complaints.

The Caledonian Bar in Nairn had originally planned to give customers in February as many free draught beers as they could stomach between 9pm and 9.10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Locals were quizzed in flyers: "How good is your bladder? Can you take the p**s on the Caley Challenge?"

Councillor Liz Macdonald branded it "irresponsible". "It may have lasted for only 10 minutes but I think it would still encourage binge-drinking. It is sending the wrong message," she told the Daily Record.

Landlord Mark Glen defended the promotion, saying that he ran a "good pub" that did not tolerate rowdy behaviour. "It was only ever meant to be a gimmick," he added.

Just two weeks ago an American woman died from water intoxication in a similar contest to determine who could hold their bladder the longest in order to win a Nintendo Wii at an event in Sacramento, Calfornia.

by Daniel Thomas

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