WHETHER England is flushed with success or going down the pan, World Cup fans in one Oxford pub will not miss a minute.

Staff at Walter Mittey's in Osney Island have put a telly in the loo so that football fanatics see every goal.

Manageress Katie Price, said: "We thought it would be a bit of a laugh and a giggle to have a telly in the loo.

"It makes people smile and it's nice to have something a bit wacky. This pub is a bit of a weird place so it fits in.

"The telly's in the gents by the urinals. We've got it on a bracket so the men don't miss that vital goal.

"Men go to watch the football, and while they're in the toilet the goal is scored and they get all upset.

"We thought this would be a bit different."

She said the idea was the brainchild of pub owner Paul Wheeler.

"He loves football," she said. "This has obviously been a problem for him. It's not a problem I've encountered - I just watch it for the legs."

Staff have already installed the television for a dry run before the first match on June 10 and have put MTV on for loo users.

"People have been laughing about it," she said. "During the World Cup we'll probably have more people in the gents than we will in the bar."

Pub regular Stephen Parker, 25, of Abbey Road, Osney, said: "I think it's an absolutely fantastic idea. I usually just wet myself - at least now I'll be able to make it to the toilet."

His drinking partner Jeff Rudman, 24, of Sandford-on-Thames, said: "It's brilliant because every time you go to the toilet you're guaranteed to miss a vital part."

Colin Slade, 28, of Mill Street, Osney, added: "All we need now is a bar in the toilet - we could have a couple of pumps in there - and a barmaid."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.