IT'S the smallest room of most pubs but a place everyone inevitably visits and one which is often overlooked by landlords and staff. But the workers at the Postern Gate pub have been rewarded for taking pride in their toilets to new heights.

The Wetherspoon's drinking house is one of a handful of pubs across the country to be given a five star ranking in the Loo of the Year competition.

So customers can now visit the official Piccadilly penthouse of privies, with a seal of approval from the British Toilet Association. No, we're not making this up.

Landlord Keith Pidd tells Bar Talk that the women's toilet at the Piccadilly pub is spacious and salubrious. "It's the ladies' which have won it because they are absolutely lovely," he says.

Here's to a pub which sets the bog standard.

ON a more serious note, there has been some noisy ruffling of feathers among York's bars after Wetherspoon launched its latest marketing ploy - "pricewatch".

Visitors to the Postern Gate can compare the prices for a round of eight drinks at five different pub chain bars across York on prominent posters at the pub.

Unsurprisingly, Wetherspoon comes out much lighter on the pocket with a total round cost of £22.07 - some £13.43 cheaper than Bar 38, the most expensive bar in their research.

But other bar bosses say heavy discounting "lowers the tone" of drinking in the city and that Wetherspoon pubs appeal to the bottom end of the market.

Postern Gate boss Keith Pidd defended the price comparison, saying that some landlords had welcomed the move.

He said all Wetherspoon pubs across the UK had the same system and he would be reviewing the prices in January.

The pricewatch drinks at Bar 38, Edward's, Pitcher and Piano, Varsity and Yates's, range from a bottle of house wine to a double vodka and Red Bull as well as drinking mainstays such as John Smith's, Stella Artois and Guinness.

It shows the huge variety of prices at city-centre bars, with a pint of Carling, or equivalent lager, costing from £1.70 (Wetherspoon) to £2.40 at Bar 38 and Pitcher and Piano.

A bottle of house wine, meanwhile, can cost anywhere between £5.65 (Wetherspoon) and £10.95 at Edward's.

Bar 38 deputy manager Richard Marsay said there was "no comparison" between the businesses, which serve different ends of the market. He said his bar offered a "soft" atmosphere, with its riverside location and modern fittings, which appealed to different drinkers.

Steve Spooner, who manages the nearby Pitcher and Piano, said a Wetherspoon pub could not offer table service or music and has lower overheads which allow it to push down prices.

Yates's assistant manager Jamie Carr said his bar offered value for money and that the company passed on savings to its customers.

Of course, Bar Talk knows the value of a good drink - wherever that might be.

uSWEATY people in shorts and vests will be congregating at the Three Legged Mare tomorrow for a pre-Christmas dash around the city's streets.

Landlord James Butler is hosting a 60-strong group of runners from the Hash House Harriers running club who plan a one hour "hare and hounds" event beginning at midday.

The course includes a number of surprise beer stops for thirsty runners which organiser Adrian "Blobby" Ewart says is par for the course for a "running club with a drinking problem".

The Scarborough branch member adds that the course is "quite easy really" although how the runners will fair among the ferocious Christmas shoppers remains to be seen.

Fighting fit beer boss James says he is quietly confident that he will be able to stay the course and regulars at the High Petergate pub have remarked on how light on his feet he seems.

"Everybody and anybody can take part," he says. "Students, businessmen, whoever. It would be great if someone wanted to set a branch up in York."

The Hash House Harriers is a running club with groups all over the world and an international reputation for "social" running occasions.

Bar Talk raises a glass to the participants - from a warm chair - and wishes them all good health.

NEW innkeepers are in place at The Station Hotel in Pickering, and they have brought ambitious plans with them.

Steve and Mary Whitfield came to Ryedale from Felixstowe to take over at the Park Street pub.

Steve, a trained chef, is already offering a bar menu, and has plans to convert part of the pub into a lounge and restaurant in February.

But he knows the key to running any local pub is keeping your regulars on side, and so the Station's popular bar is to stay well and truly intact.

He said: "There is a great crowd of regulars here. I've already had one busy weekend with them and they're taking the mickey out of me, which is a good sign."

As well as the planned refurbishments Steve plans to add Tetley Smooth and Stella to his bar.

Current offerings include Worthington's Smooth (£1.85) and Carling Black Label (£2).

Updated: 09:54 Saturday, December 14, 2002