TWO village publicans are showing there's no bar to learning by offering courses in the three Rs as their customers sup a pint.

The Piddle Inn, in Piddletrenthide, and the Swan Inn at Abbotsbury are also inviting their customers to brush up on their personal skills, business know-how and computer literacy.

Courses in everything from management techniques to literacy and numeracy are being served up during opening hours at the pubs from next week.

Customers are already enjoying free Internet access, thanks to new computers installed in the bars.

Piddle Inn landlord Bill Bishop, 51, is even hoping to link up to other pubs via the Internet for games such as cribbage and quizzes.

He said: "We've had a lot of interest in the courses already - it's an excellent project.

"People come in here to look at their e-mails and go on the Internet or do their homework - there are quite a few older people who come in to use the computers.

"Thankfully, people haven't spilled beer in them or stuck peanuts in the keyboard - yet.

"We have a good printer and we are also getting a camera. The situation will be that the Learndirect advisers will come in to run courses, but then people carry on the work during opening hours at the pub.

"It's a two-year pilot scheme to try to carry out this pledge from the Government to get everyone on the net by a certain date and Dorset is the second county to get it after Cumbria.

"Anything we can use the computers for, we will, whether it's link-ups to other pubs or whatever.

"I'm chuffed to bits with it."

For Swan Inn landlord Graham Roper, 58, and his wife Sue, 57, it is their first time using a computer.

Graham said: "There are a lot of locals using the computers at the moment and I'm getting to grips with them - slowly.

"We're also hoping the clubs that meet here will be able to make use of them."

The courses are being offered by Learning Action Dorset as part of a strategy to bring education to rural areas.

This week until Friday at the Swan and between January 14 and 17 at the Piddle Inn people can pop in to discover what will be on offer and sign up for one of the Learndirect courses.