A city pub that specialises in cider has been named the county's best for the third year running.

The White Lion in Oak Street was awarded the prize for the best cider pub of the year by the Norwich & Norfolk branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale).

The pub also picked up the silver award for the East Anglian cider pub of the year, which was presented by Chris Rouse, the region's cider co-ordinator, who travelled from Essex to the pub where he is a regular visitor.

The pub is run by Becky and Ben Ackers, who arrived in the city in 2011.

Mr Ackers said: 'We are very proud of winning these awards and would like to say thanks to all our customers and those who voted for us, and, of course, our dedicated, knowledgeable staff, many of whom have been with us for a long time.

'It seems that real cider and perry has really taken off in Norwich in the last few years, which is good news for local cidermakers and pubs, especially in good summer weather.'

The pub is also popular with real ale fans, and was packed when the two certificates were handed over last month.

Warren Wordsworth, CAMRA's branch chairman, said: 'Their dedication to promote real cider and perry from Norfolk and across England and Wales has led to many other pubs in Norwich stocking more ciders and perries, giving customers the opportunity to try something new and local.'

Voting for the branch awards was available online this year, for the first time. People could also vote at the branch meeting for members in February, and using the National Beer Scoring System (NBSS), which led to an increased number of votes being cast.

Have you got a pub story? Email david.bale2@archant.co.uk