Samuel Smith's pubs in East Lancashire have been told to stop customers from using mobile phones.

The policy was revealed in a memo sent to various pubs across the country, with the brewery telling staff that people should not be allowed to use their phones in the bar and must be sent outside if they wanted to.

And The Greyhound Inn, in Altham, and Tim Bobbin Hotel, in Burnley, have confirmed they are adopting the strict policy.

Other Samuel Smith pubs including The Red Lion Hotel in Colne and Petre Arms in Langho declined to comment.

They are all part of the Tadcaster-based Samuel Smith Old Brewery.

A spokesman for the Tim Bobbin Hotel said: "We got a letter on Friday asking us to implement this policy.

"So we're trying to implement it now and we're letting customers know and they've said they're not happy." The Greyhound Inn also said they had the same policy in place as Samuel Smith's pub nationwide.

The Tadcaster-based brewery operates in the region of 200 pubs, most of which are small pubs situated in the former mill, mine and steel areas of the north of England.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the memo, which was sent by Humphrey Smith, the owner of Samuel Smith’s Brewery, also made clear that tablets are also banned as well as music apps and “pictures of sport’.

The memo reads: “The brewery’s policy is not to allow customers to use mobile phones, laptops or similar inside our pubs.

“If a customer receives a call then he or she should go outside to take it in the same way as is required with smoking. Whether outside or inside, tablets and iPads must be prohibited.

“Customers must not be allowed to receive transmitted pictures of sport or download music apps on the brewery’s premises either inside or outside.”

The memo adds that the brewery’s policy is that its pubs are for social conversation person to person.

Samuel Smith Old Brewery were unavailable for comment.