NEWS COPY – WITH PICTURES – by Sam Blewett
A pig which lives in a pub has been given the chop from the bar and slapped with a booze ban – after it started robbing pints and HEADBUTTING punters.
The micro-pig called Frances Bacon eats, sleeps and drinks at her owner’s inn but started ‘minesweeping’ – drinking from discarded ale glasses.
Customers had also started letting her sup beer or cider from their drinks at the Conquering Hero pub.
Landlords Ian and Vicky Taylor-Ross only realised the Vietnamese Pot-Belly was swilling from the pint pots when she started butting into customer’s legs.
Customers have now been warned not to serve her any booze – and her owners are making sure she doesn’t drink from any unattended glasses.
They have also had to shift their pork scratchings, crisps and peanuts to a higher shelf behind the bar in case snuffling Frances tries to eat them.
The greedy pig once ate a big bag of nuts – and was thirsty for days.
Ian, 43, and Vicky, 39, have raised the four-year-old pig since she was just six weeks old but now she is fully grown, Frances is becoming a bit of a ‘loveable menace.’
He said: “She’s lovely – definitely our favorite regular. We’ve had to bar her from having any beer though.
“She managed to nick a pint or two and then started butting into people. But we’re keeping a closer eye on her now and that won’t happen again.”
They now warn their customers to keep their beers away from Frances and to let her nowhere near their pork scratchings.
Frances will gobble down anything but must be kept on a strictly vegetarian diet at the West Norwood, south London boozer – and even has her own space in the beer garden.
Vicky said: “We have had to put locks on the bar to stop her coming in and stealing crisps and scratchings. She has got an incredible sense of smell.
“She eats a special dry feed for micro pigs and eats all our vegetable peelings – as long as she’s not eating her relatives it’s okay.
“She doesn’t have a clue that between pork scratchings are her relatives. We used to keep them on the lower shelves but we had to move everything a couple of weeks ago.
“She broke in and ate a bag of dry roasted peanuts.
“She didn’t eat for two days after that, but she was incredibly thirsty.
“She is also up for drinking beer – she will try and get hold of anything that’s there, especially cider.”
The parents believe the six-stone pig is a fantastic pet for children Tavis (corr), nine, Ruby, six, and Mary, three, and the family can be regularly seen walking her on a lead.
She is also a big hit with their customers and so far has got on well with all the regulars.
Vicky said: “Most of our punters really like her but it can be a bit weird for people especially as we are in London. She’s just like a dog really, only craftier.”
ENDS
