A bar is offering anyone who turns up with a black eye a free shot of alcohol to celebrate the booziest night of the year.

Pots Bar, a pool bar in Ashington, Northumberland, sent out the bizarre offer on its Facebook page on Wednesday (20 December).

The post was in reference to Mad Friday, also known as Black Eye Friday, which falls every year on the last Friday before Christmas. For many people it is the day of their early Christmas payday, their work Christmas party, or simply their last working day before the festive season.

With so many revellers going out to paint the town red at the same time, it is no wonder that it often ends up as the night with the most alcohol-induced accidents and fights reported in the whole year. It was dubbed "Black Eye Friday" after bars, clubs and pubs began to see an unusually high number of fights breaking out on that one night.

Last year, London Ambulance Service paramedics received 5,897 calls before midnight and a further 300 by 1am.

But Pots Bar is not trying to encourage punch-ups among its clientele, it said.

A spokesperson for Pots Bar told IBTimes UK: "If you look at my other posts, we simply put silly things online to try and grab attention."

Asked whether Black Eye Friday is a real phenomenon they are worried about, the spokesperson added: "More people drinking inevitably means more bother."

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