Anthony CarrollReal ale lovers in Great Yarmouth are toasting the town's Mariners pub after it was named as a top drinking den by CAMRA.Anthony Carroll

Real ale lovers in Great Yarmouth are toasting the town's Mariners pub after it was named as a top drinking den by CAMRA.

The pub, on Howard Street, clinched the Norwich and Norfolk Campaign for Real Ale branch pub of the year award by beating off stiff competition from a dozen over pubs.

The Mariners owner Shaun Underdown did not let celebrating his pub's success get in the way of what he does best - pulling pints for his regular customers.

Mr Underdown, 38, has owned the pub for five years and thanks to bringing in a wide range of real ales and creating a friendly warm atmosphere his punters gets through an impressive 35 firkins of real ale a week.

The Mariners' success in concentrating on real ales has certainly paid off as it is the first ever Yarmouth pub to have won the coveted branch of the year award.

Mr Underdown, who used to be a doorman and who lives in Lowestoft, said: 'It was a bolt from the blue to be told we had won.

'At first I thought it was a wind up as I thought no pub in Yarmouth would ever win it.'

Warren Wordsworth, branch pubs officer for Norwich and Norfolk CAMRA said: 'This is the first time that a pub from the Yarmouth area has won our branch pub of the year award.

'I hope this will not only be a boost to the Mariners but will also raise the profile of real ale to the Yarmouth area in general.'

The Mariners will now go head to head in the CAMRA county pub of the year competition against the yet to be announced winner of the West Norfolk CAMRA pub of the year award.