THE owner of a hotel in Burnham has pulled his Facebook ad in protest at an extreme drinking game which has taken hold on social media sites.

Paul Chatwin, proprietor of the Royal Clarence Hotel on Burnham's Esplanade, told the Weekly News that he is "refusing to advertise with the social media giant" until Facebook removes all pages promoting the 'Neknomination' drinking craze from its platform.

He is calling for other Facebook advertisers to do the same.

Paul said: "If all of us who advertise with the social media giant, did the same Facebook would soon take notice. Our spend with them alone amounts to £100 per month."

'Neknomination', or 'neck nomination' is where someone is nominated to drink a one-pint concoction of drinks, video it and then post the video online within 24hrs.

The fad is perpuated by the original nominee then nominating others to do the same.

The deaths of two teenagers in Ireland have so far been linked to Neknomination.

Paul said: "The craze seems particularly popular with younger people who are more prone to succumb to peer pressure or who may not appreciate the dangers associated with drinking large amounts of alcohol in a very short time.

"Those who refuse to take part are often subjected to name calling and other forms of bullying.

"Even though The Royal Clarence Hotel has an Over 21s Policy, even we have experienced customers attempting to purchase large quantities of different spirits in order to take part in the craze. Thankfully, our staff have been vigilant and have refused the sale."

He added: "I think it extremely important that parents are fully aware of this dangerous craze,not only affecting school-age children who manage to acquire alcohol but also those over the age of 18 too."

Facebook has to date rejected calls for videos and pages linked to Neknominations to be removed and banned, as the trend is not deemed to be in breach of its rules or community standards.