PUB landlords in Bolton are backing a bid to ban Chancellor Alistair Darling from pubs across the UK.

Licensees are angry about the recent Budget, which saw a 4p tax increase on a pint, an extra 14p put on a bottle of wine and 55p on spirits.

The campaign has grown since managers at Utopia Bar, in Edinburgh, stuck a poster in its window declaring Mr Darling "barred from this pub until further notice".

And now pub bosses in Bolton have added their support.

Ivan Whittaker, landlord of The Volunteer Pub, in Radcliffe Road, Bolton, said: "I heard about this campaign yesterday (THURS) and I'll support it if everybody else does.

"This increase, on top of the recent smoking ban, is ridiculous."

John Jewitt, landlord at Ye Olde Man and Scythe pub, said: "As a symbol of protest, I would support the campaign."

However, he added: "The chances of Alistair Darling visiting the pub are slim but if he did visit, I'd rather talk to him about the tax increases instead of banning him."

Bolton South-east MP Brian Iddon believes a campaign of this kind will make no difference.

He said: "I would ask these pub landlords to concentrate on a serious campaign against things like binge drinking instead of time-wasting.

"Young people are being admitted to hospital in what can be described as a spectacular rise in liver disease, caused by alcohol and obesity."