Sunday first for Stornoway pub

One of the few places in the UK that still prevented pubs opening on Sunday has decided to relax its policy - but would-be drinkers will have to eat a meal before they will be allowed to drink.

The Whalers Rest is the first pub in the traditionally churchgoing community of Stornoway in the Western Isles to be granted a licence for Sunday, but the alcohol is only available to visitors who buy a meal in the pub's restaurant.

Owner of the Whalers Rest, John Murray, said: "We have made history because in Stornoway if you have not got a Bible and you don't wear a white collar there is nothing to do on a Sunday."

"I have been campaigning for this for a year and it is wonderful news. It means a lot to the locals who are not religious, especially the younger generation."

The pub's restaurant serves a variety of lunch and evening dishes, ranging from lamb and steak to lobster and scallops.

Murray said the pub would begin serving alcohol on Sundays within the next couple of weeks.