NORTH-East drinkers who use foul language in pubs could be asked to leave.

JD Wetherspoons, which has 20 pubs in the region, has said it will evict people who use swear words that cause offence to others.

The company plans to put warnings about using foul language on to menus or on bars and tables.

JD Wetherspoons has pubs in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Newcastle, Sunderland and Richmond, North Yorkhire.

A spokesman for the group said: "Some people wrote to the company magazine saying they liked the pubs but that they can get upset with people swearing.

"Our chairman, Tim Martin, wrote back and said he understood what they were saying and he was going to discuss it with managers to keep an eye on it. That is where it came from.

"If someone is effing and blinding and the noise travels, other people can get offended.

"Staff will go over to the person involved and ask if they wouldn't mind stopping. If they carry on, they will be asked to leave."

The spokesman denied national newspaper claims that swear boxes would be installed into pubs.

He also said smoking had not been banned from JD Wetherspoons' pubs, as had been claimed, but that there were designated no-smoking areas in all its pubs.

"Wetherspoons is looking into introducing the changes," he said.