The identity of a mystery tweeter responsible for fake Wetherspoon Twitter accounts will be revealed to the pub chain following a judge's ruling.

Imposter accounts have amassed tens of thousands of followers while sending "abusive" replies to customers and posting false updates using the name "Tom" since 2014, the High Court was told.

JD Wetherspoon's barrister David Hirst said one tweet claiming that staff would not be wearing poppies around Remembrance Day led to a man attending the company's annual general meeting and asking "very heated questions" of the board.

At a hearing in London on Thursday, Master Victoria McCloud ordered that Twitter - which did not oppose JD Wetherspoon's application - disclose information relating to the identity of the operator of the fake account by mid-January.

Mr Hirst said the issue of fake accounts had been "an ongoing situation since 2014", adding that the circumstances had been made "worse if anything" by the fact that JD Wetherspoon had taken down its official Twitter account in April.