Two Hitchin pubs have been crowned joint winners after readers cast their votes in a poll to find the town's favourite watering hole.

A total of 160 votes were cast in the poll, with The Half Moon and The Vic finishing neck-and-neck at the top with 20 per cent of the vote each.

Both popular pubs secured 32 votes, putting them comfortably ahead of the rest of the field in the community poll.

As many readers observed, Hitchin is blessed with a wide range of drinking establishments and preference is often determined by where in the town you live.

Taking third place was The Orange Tree, which secured 22 votes (13.8 per cent), while Coopers came fourth with 13 votes (8.1 per cent).

Several other pubs also attracted strong support from voters across Hitchin.

The Anchor and The Highlander each received 7 votes (4.4 per cent), while BBs Bar, Millstream and The Beer Shop all picked up 6 votes (3.8 per cent).

The Albert secured 5 votes (3.1 per cent), with The Angels, Plume of Feathers and Bar 85 each receiving 4 votes (2.5 per cent).

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Further down the list, Hitchin Town, The Bird in Hand and Rose & Crown each received 2 votes (1.3 per cent).

A number of venues also received individual votes, including Molly Malones, Red Heart, The George, Tellers Bar, The Radcliffe and The Sun Inn, each recording 1 vote (0.6 per cent).

The results highlight the wide range of pubs and bars across Hitchin that residents enjoy, from traditional locals to newer town centre venues.

With the top two tied on 20 per cent, it appears the town may struggle to agree on a single "best pub" – but the poll shows there is no shortage of much-loved places for a pint across Hitchin. As one resident wrote it is "impossible to pick just one"