Wrexham pub offers discount to diners who lock phones away Published duration 24 February 2018

image copyright Ceidiog image caption General manager Mark Finley and restaurant manageress Jade Darlington hope to see less of this in their pub

Ever been out for a meal with someone who spent more time staring at their phone than looking at you?

One Wrexham pub has started running an offer to help make this a thing of the past and encourage people to talk without any distractions.

Customers at The Fat Boar will get 25% off food bills for giving up their phones as part of its "Mobile Free Monday".

The phones will be locked in cash boxes on tables and staff hold the keys.

Rich Watkin, the Fat Boar's director, said: "Mobiles can often be a real distraction and stop us from just sitting among family and friends and simply having a good conversation and that's why I came up with the idea."

image copyright Ceidiog

If successful, the scheme will be rolled out at the pub's sister restaurant on Chester Street, Mold.

Restaurant manageress Jade Darlington added: "I think we all feel a certain amount of pressure to be constantly checking emails, social media, texts and all the other messaging on our phones.

"But if we can do something to encourage people to put their phones down and concentrate solely on one another and the fun night out they are having with us, then I think that's a really positive thing."