A regional daily’s pub critic has urged the newspaper’s editor to “rot in hell” in a tongue-in-cheek rant announcing the end of their regular review column.

The Worcester News ‘Pub Spy’ columnist announced they were bowing out from writing reviews of Worcester’s pubs and bars after more than two years.

The anonymous critic said in a farewell column that he had “decided to hang up his dubiously stained beer mat”, and denied he was “sacked for getting outrageously drunk in the Punch Bowl in Ronkswood and being overly familiar with a female customer”.

The News has declined to comment, but despite his spectacular ‘resignation,’ HTFP understands ‘Pub Spy’ could return to the paper in future.

An image of the ‘Pub Spy’ at work

In the farewell piece, ‘Pub Spy’ wrote: “I’ve decided to take a job as the editor of Car Parks Of Our Times, a glossy lifestyle publication based in the Cotswolds which makes the Worcester News look like badly decorated toilet paper.

“I want to make this clear from the start – I wasn’t sacked for getting outrageously drunk in the Punch Bowl in Ronkswood and being overly familiar with a female customer.

“This is malicious gossip put about by that scoundrel Worcester News editor, Michael Purton. May he rot in hell.

“I hear he is now going to send his ‘reporters’ ‘Down the Pub’ to interview landlords instead. No doubt it will be drivel. My resignation will take place with immediate effect. Don’t even bother begging me to stay.”

However although the piece received more than 50 comments from readers, some of them did not appear to be in on the joke.

One wrote: “Erm…is this real? Has PS hacked the website and put what he really thinks?”

Another added: “Who the hell thought this was in good taste? All jokes aside this is a horrible, horrible thing to read and a bad attempt at humor [sic].

“I will be enquiring about this with your editor and contacting the Independent Press Standards Organisation about this.”

But one supporter of Pub Spy wrote: “Bit of a shame. I always thought that Pub Spy was intended as harmless, tongue-in-cheek fun but it did a great job in winding up those who took it seriously and were determined to find something to be cross about.”

And another added: “A stunning and frankly brilliant valediction by the genuine PS. You were always above the radar but you have given a final two fingers to those below it. Cheers PS.”