A TV PROGRAMME screened on Monday documenting a brewery's efforts to claim the name 'Dartmoor' as its own has provoked phenomenal reaction, its director of sales said this week.

Mark Shackleton from Dartmoor Brewery at Princetown said of the BBC1 Inside Out current affairs programme: 'It was terrific coverage for us, Monday evening at 7.45pm is peak viewing time.

'I think we just wanted to put it across that there are two Dartmoor beers — but only one, ours, is brewed on Dartmoor with Dartmoor water.

'We are getting phenomenal feedback — I've had a lots of texts and now emails — I am really surprised at how many are coming in, we are over the moon with the reaction, which is all very supportive.'

The programme highlighted the fact that Dartmoor IPA has been produced by Dartmoor Brewery on Dartmoor since 1995 and Dartmoor Best Bitter is produced at St Austell Brewery in Cornwall, the company having inherited it from Carlsberg in 2001, and how the public could become confused over the two products.

Dartmoor Brewery, which produces three beers and two speciality beers at certain times of the year, said that its Dartmoor ale accounted for 25% of its business, whereas the St Austell ale accounted for around 7% of its business.

The Princetown firm is pressing for PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status — which protects the reputation of regional foods and has been given to products such as the Cornish Pasty — but this could take up to six years to achieve.

Mr Shackleton continued: 'I think everyone agrees, if it's called Dartmoor right across the pump clip, they expect it to be brewed on Dartmoor — it's only natural.

'What set it all off again was the new pump clip produced by St Austell on October 1, which is so blatantly Dartmoor, it's caused so much confusion.

'We get pubs ringing us up from all over the country asking about it.

'The other thing I think is important is that when you put the word Dartmoor on a product, it definitely has added value, as it's becoming such a significant area, and what we make out of using that word is actually going back into the Dartmoor area, to our workers, and to our suppliers.'

No-one was available for comment from St Austell Brewery as the Times went to press yesterday (Wednesday).