A landlord has barred 800 customers from his pub, calling them "hypocrites in cardigans" and criticising them for only drinking half-pints.

Steve Coxshall, the landlord and owner of the 300-year-old Duke of Hamilton pub in Hampstead was angered by Camden Council's decision to list the pub as an "Asset of Community Value" (ACV).

It means that if Mr Coxshall decided to sell the pub the local community would have six months to try and raise enough funds to buy it from him.

But the former stockbroker and manager of Blur said he didn't want his pub listed as an ACV, because he would then have to wait half a year if his business fails and he needed to sell it quickly to pay his bills.

Mr Coxshall told the Camden New Journal: “They are all barred from the pub.

"I bought it to save it. But if you’ve got a pub and there is an economic downturn, what is the point of an ACV if there is no business? If you have a six-month window where you can’t sell it, who is going to pay the bills?

"They haven’t put any money into the pub – they are just a bunch of hypocrites in cardigans."

He added: "They don't drink in here and if they do come in, they only order half of a half pints.”