A BEER from Newport brewers Tiny Rebel which was voted Britain's best beer has been forced to axe its can - after a ruling said it was "too attractive" to children.

The popular craft brewers have been told they must scrap its colourful yellow design after one complaint it looked like a can of soft drink.

Alcohol industry standards body the Portman Group ruled the can of beer breached packaging and marketing codes for alcoholic drinks.

The 33cl can of Cwtch beer - voted the best beer in Britain at the 2015 Great British Beer Festival - currently features a cartoon bear, graffiti, and a discarded spray can.

The sole complaint came from a customer who said they bought the can in a convenience store thinking it was a fizzy drink.

The complaint claimed the can "looks very similar to Sunkist".

A ruling by the Portman Group's independent complaints panel agreed the packaging could appeal to under-18s and could encourage "immoderate consumption".

But the panel rejected two further claims the packaging could encourage antisocial and violent behaviour, and didn't state it was an alcoholic drink clearly enough.

Tiny Rebel, based in Newport, South Wales, had argued the "psychedelic pattern" of the can was inspired by the Austin Powers films.

They also argued its urban theme reflective of the Welsh city, while the bear was "a manifestation of the two co-founders' personalities".

After the ruling, brewery co-founder Bradley Cummings said he accepted the decision and said minor changes would now be made to the drink's packaging.

He said: "We've worked with the Portman Group and the result of our chats is a minor change to our Cwtch Can product by making our logo less dominant on the front of the can".

John Timothy, secretary of the independent panel, said: "I welcome the way in which Tiny Rebel has engaged with the advisory service throughout this process and their commitment to ensure the panel ruling is incorporated into wider work to evolve the brand.

"While it was clearly not the intention of the producer to promote immoderate consumption, even indirectly, companies have to be extremely vigilant around themes that could be attractive to young people, particularly when designing 33cl cans which, in the UK, are traditionally associated with soft drinks."