New advertising campaign promoting the famous Ruddles beer as "Country Born And Brewed" has been described as an insult to beer drinkers - because it will be produced in a town.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) does not consider Ruddles' new home, Abingdon, as being in the country - unlike its original home in Langham, Rutland, where it has traditionally been brewed.

Morland Brewery announced earlier this year that it was closing the Langham site and transferring production to its brewery in Abingdon's Ock Street.

Despite tasting problems, the company claims the move will be completed by November and is spending more than £1.5m on relaunching Ruddles County and Ruddles Best Bitter - backed by the controversial slogan.

Mike Benner, Camra's head of campaigns and communications, said: "We regard Morland's efforts to relaunch the Ruddles brand as an insult to beer drinkers and a prime example of misleading the public.

"I suspect that market research into the Ruddles brands has demonstrated that drinkers value their rural Rutland heritage. Morland is cashing in on this, but is deceiving drinkers."

Morland spokesman Silvana Payne said: "I think what they are trying to say is that they are looking at it from the point of view that Langham is a small village. Abingdon is hardly a city, though. And it is the oldest town in the country, isn't it?"

Abingdon Town Council clerk, Brian Tonkin, said: "I think you would call Abingdon a country town. It is a market town and still has the feel of a market town." Insp Graham Sutherland, of Abingdon police, said: "It is definitely a market town with strong associations with the country.

"You only have to walk five minutes south of the Morland brewery to find yourself in the countryside. They keep calling us country bumpkins when we go to London, so we must be in the country!" The controversy The controversy surrounding Ruddles beer has led to questions over whether Abingdon can truly be defined as a country town.

Two of the main countryside organisations are split over the true meaning of the words.

On one side is the Rural Development Commission, which defines country towns as those with populations of less than 10,000, while Abingdon has more than 30,000 inhabitants.

In the other corner is the Countryside Commission, which sees small towns as being part of the countryside and points out it is countryside which surrounds the town.

A spokesman said: "The countryside would be a poorer place without the villages and small towns that are within it."

He believed Abingdon and the countryside were very much linked - because when you head out of town you are surrounded by rural areas.

Ironically, the Rural Development Commission and the Countryside Commission are due to merge next year.

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