Hats off to a fine St Patrick's Day party

Pubs enjoyed good trading on St Patrick's Day - but some saw it as a missed opportunity to boost mid-week sales because celebrations were on a Friday.

Nicola Arbon, Greene King tenant at the Kings Arms in Bury St Edmunds, said: "We took what we would probably take on a normal Friday, only with a different mix of drinks.

"About 80% of people drank Guinness in the evening, including ladies and those that come in every day and have a Carling."

Arbon said they ran out of

the famous St Patrick's Day Guinness hats.

"It was a really good atmosphere. The staff got in to the spirit too; they had their faces painted and wore the Guinness hats."

The Griffin in Norwich, which has a 24-hour licence, opened for 36 hours over the weekend.

Host Matthew Harris said about 15 people stayed through the night and had breakfast on Saturday. "For me, Friday is a better day because people can celebrate on Friday and Saturday and still have Sunday with their family."

Diageo said 30,000 Guinness St Patrick's Day kits - enough for half of all pubs in Britain - were issued this year.