A HANDMADE bar in a Weymouth garden complete with brass beer taps, a dartboard and walls adorned with posters, flags and memorabilia, has been crowned the UK's best pub shed.

Weety’s Bar in Weymouth is the brainchild of Royal Navy veteran Iain Weetman, who started building the 'pub' back in 2010 in his garden.

Despite imitating a boozer the creation is actually a shed and was announced as the country’s best live on air, via Pub Shed Radio much to the delight of Mr Weetman.

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Dorset Echo: Inside the UK's pub shed of the year, Weety's Bar in Weymouth. Picture: Ashley Turner

Upon being crowned the owner of the UK's best pub shed the veteran said: “I’m so happy to have won with my small bar. I’ve never won anything before, this is amazing."

The 13ft (4m) x 13 ft (4m) shed features brass beer taps from the petty officers' mess aboard the HMS Ark Royal, which Mr Weetman served on, and a dartboard belonging to his wife's late grandfather.

Mr Weetman added: "I wanted a traditional pub feel with a nice balance of memorabilia. The brass beer taps are Gulf War veterans, when the ship was scrapped I was so glad to acquire them and give them a new lease of life."

Pub Shed Radio host Ashley Turner was live on location to surprise the winner of the competition, after the voting closed one week earlier.

Mr Turner said: “Twofatblokes.co.uk ran the competition for some fun with our partners Pub Shed Radio. We had 482 entrants and more than 1,500 votes for the finalist in the public vote.

“Iain self built and fitted out his bar which has the bar taps from HMS Ark Royal that served in the Gulf War proudly installed on his bar.”

Mr Turner estimates ‘in excess of 300,000 back garden pubs and bars are now in operation,’ following a lockdown boom, with the very best in 2021 located in Weymouth.

Dorset Echo: Inside the UK's pub shed of the year, Weety's Bar in Weymouth. Picture: Ashley Turner

As well as earning the prestigious title of pub shed of the year, the owner of Weety’s Bar scooped a sign package worth more than £200 and a bottle of seven year old rum.

The Weymouth venue faced stiff competition from The Garden Inn, in the West Midlands, and O’Sullivans, County Durham - which also both won sign packages.

Weety’s Bar is not just for Mr Weetman’s use having hosted band rehearsals, birthday parties, work parties, and a charity evening previously.