A Southsea publican, Janice McCormack, plans to call in an exorcist after a ghost apparently kept topping up regular's drinks.


Published: 10:00AM BST 30 Sep 2009

The 60 year-old landlady, who runs the pub with husband Patrick, claims spirits are costing her a fortune after the beer-loving ghost continues to give away free beer.

She said the poltergeist, nicknamed 'Reedy' after legendary actor and drinker Oliver Reed, has been haunting her pub, the Apsley House in Southsea, Hants, after she took over the lease a decade ago.

But since the start of the year, it appears the generous ghoul mysteriously been filling regulars' glasses.

So frustrated at the ghost's actions, she plans to purge the pub of the spirit by holding a séance.

Mrs McCormack has already spoken to a number of experts in the spirit world about removing her awkward regular.

"I know it sounds very strange, but people's pints keep getting topped up," she said.

"They pop to the toilet or put their pint down for a second or two, and when they turn around there is an extra inch of beer."

She said the spectre's sympathetic re-fills are hitting her in the pocket.

"My regulars love it but it is costing me because people are drinking less," she said.

"We are getting more people through the door but it seems to be people expecting a cheap, never-ending pint.

"It is all a bit strange and it is driving me round the bend a bit. It makes stock take an absolute nightmare."

The Apsley was formally a Victorian girls school before being used by boozy city councillors as their offices and was only turned into a pub in the 1960s.

Regular John Sanders, 27, said: "I will certainly miss old Reedy because he always keeps me topped up.

"It is a novelty but if the pub is going to lose money then perhaps he'll have to move to a different one.

"You were always guaranteed a hangover when you drank in the Apsley - and you'd always have money left in your pocket for a kebab on the way home."