HUNDREDS of beer lovers are expected to give up their old haunts to enjoy a staggering selection of real ales at the York CAMRA beer festival.

The Evening Press is sponsoring the ghostly-themed Campaign for Real Ale event, The Phantom Of The Hopera, which returns after a one-year absence.

The spirited beer extravaganza will take place at the Priory Street Centre, off Micklegate, between March 27 and March 29.

Organisers promise that the centre's two halls will host a fiendish selection of almost 100 tasty brews from Orkney to Lands End, with a special emphasis on local breweries.

Organiser Patrick Hickey said up to 1,500 drinkers were expected to welcome the festival's ghostly return and enjoy the huge variety of products on offer.

Tickets for the York CAMRA beer festival, which cost £2, can be picked up at the Blue Bell, Fossgate, the Maltings, Tanners Moat, and York Beer Shop in Sandringham Street.

Or send a cheque payable to York CAMRA and a self-addressed envelope to Don Henson, 9 Falsgrave Crescent, York, YO30 7AZ.

Updated: 11:12 Wednesday, January 22, 2003