Ratty the boozy terrier, who found fame by catching a bus to the pub, was up to his old tricks yesterday.

The little dog has always liked nothing better than to hop on to the No10 bus which took him to his local for a pint and a sausage supper. But he came unstuck when the pub changed hands and the new owners banned him.

Now, with fiendish cunning, the dog, who struggles with a gammy leg, has found another pub just across the road which is willing to take him in.

And although it may be good news for beer-loving Ratty, his owner, farmer Gary Kay, has a problem, because needs his four-legged friend at work. Ratty used to sneak out of his house by himself, wander around and then hop on the bus. He would jump off when it stopped outside the Black Bull in York. Once there, he was fed sausages by the friendly barmaid

But the cunning pooch's adventures came to an end when the pub changed hands and the new owners took the business up market and banned animals. Unperturbed, the resourceful Ratty has now found a new watering hole to frequent He is still taking his old bus route down to the Black Bull at least twice a week. But fed up with being turned away, he now simply crosses the road and heads into the Rose and Crown

Mr Kay, 41, said his friends have been forced to drive Ratty back home from the pub, where he has become something of a regular to the nearby village of Dunnington He said:" About three weeks ago someone was driving past the Rose and Crown and spotted him sitting outside the pub so they brought him back. Another time one of my friends was in the pub and saw Ratty sitting by the back door.

"I've had to start chaining him up because, although he can get to the pub, he can't get home. I've no idea how he is doing any of this or how he is crossing the road - this dog just has a mind of his own."

Mr Kay originally bought Ratty to keep down the rodents on his farm. But the dog went lame when a car ran over its foot. The cheeky Terrier now accompanies his owner everywhere, hitching a ride in his pick-up and on his tractor.

Mr Kay has also been told by pupils who travel on the school bus that goes past his farm that the terrier also regularly travels with them Paul Clary, the landlord of the Rose and Crown, said Ratty was always welcome at the pub when-he fancied a drink and a bite to eat.

He added: "I saw it on the news when Ratty was going to the Black Bull, but it's great to have him here now.

"I've got a Rhodesian Ridgeback but he never wants to go anywhere because he's so lazy.

"Ratty is a local celebrity and must be York's most famous dog".