A daily newspaper journalist’s review of a pub at which he was offered “a w*nk” by a fellow patron has topped a regional publisher’s readership table.

PubSpy, the anonymous pub critic for Brighton daily The Argus, revealed he received the proposition – which he euphemistically described as a ‘Thomas Tank’ – while reviewing the Mad Hatter Inn, in the Kemp Town area of the city.

The review was published online this morning under the headline ‘PubSpy offered ‘a w*nk’ on visit to Mad Hatter Inn’, and as of midday was the most viewed story of the day on any Newsquest website.

However, despite the proposition from a customer dubbed ‘Mad Mary’ and complaints about the urinal in the men’s toilet being “full to the brim with festering, foul, green slime”, the critic said he had “loved” his visit to the pub.

The Mad Hatter Inn, Brighton

PubSpy’s review began: “Would you like a w***? Mad Mary in the Mad Hatter Inn was clearly determined the pub would live up to its name.

“I politely declined her offer of a ‘Thomas Tank’ in favour of a pint of Open Gate Citra IPA and wondered what someone might say to me next in this bizarre Kemp Town watering hole.

“A big friendly fellow, with a beard matching mad Mary’s flowing locks, answered the question immediately: ‘This is a very odd pub but we odd folk love it’. Surely the place couldn’t get any crazier, could it?”

He went on to describe a pub dog barking at “a deafening level” and one man subsequently “howling and barking” at the bar, while the sinks in the gents were “overflowing with grim grey stinking water”.

However, he added: “Bizarrely, despite everything, Mad Mary, a festering cesspit in the bathroom and a smelly beast with a craving for snacks, I got a kick out of visiting this most aptly named pub.

“Brits love eccentric people and take pleasure in the fact some great British boozers can survive and thrive even if they are dreadful. This is a wonderfully dreadful pub.”

Of his review’s chart-topping performance, PubSpy told HTFP: “I have sent the details on to [The Observer’s restaurant critic] Jay Rayner. He once called me the most ‘savage reviewer’ he’s ever read, which I thought was little strong.

“But I bet he’s never received an offer like this before he’s even had a chance to order a drink. The strange thing is, despite everything I actually loved The Mad Hatter Inn.”

The PubSpy review as it appeared on the Argus website