Staggs Bar in Musselburgh has been chosen by county residents as East Lothian's nominee in the UK Parliamentary Pub of the Year awards.

The pub was selected after a hard-fought public vote on Facebook which saw it triumph over the Tyneside Tavern in Haddington and Linton Hotel & Steakhouse, East Linton in a contest run by the office of Martin Whitfield MP.

Staggs, also known as the Volunteer Arms, has been trading for more than 150 years and has won numerous awards including being named Scotland's Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) on several occasions.

It will now go forward to the next stage of competition where a panel of judges will decide the finalists and eventual winner from nominees in constituencies across the UK.

Mr Whitfield, East Lothian's MP, said: "This competition gives all MPs the opportunity to nominate an outstanding local pub to go up against others around the UK and have the chance to be recognised as the Parliamentary Pub of the Year.

"East Lothian boasts many brilliant local pubs which make a vital contribution to their local communities, so choosing our nominee was never going to be an easy task and I want to thank all of the people who participated in the vote.

"However, I'm delighted that Staggs has been chosen to go forward as our representative this year. I'm sure everyone will agree they are worthy representatives for East Lothian and wish them well in the latter stages of the competition."

Nigel Finlay, owner of Staggs Bar, said: "It’s an honour to be representing East Lothian in this competition. We have had a fair amount of success in the past with pub of the year based on beer quality and choice. I hope we can progress further in the competition and do East Lothian proud."