THE Horse Shoe Bar has left customers crying into their beer after banning the sale of Scotch pies.

The traditional food has been on the menu at the Glasgow institution since it opened in Drury Street in 1884 and has helped pull in celebrity clients including TV chef Keith Floyd and pop stars Travis.

But the bar's latest move has prompted an online campaign to bring back the meaty snack, with the website attracting more than 1200 votes within hours of going live.

David Hunter, who started the campaign, said: "The company will be the ones eating pie - humble pie - because they've made a very bad decision."

The 58-year-old manager for Saudi Arabian Airlines has been eating pies at the Horse Shoe for 40 years.

He added: "I've had an amazing response to my website - we've been getting hundreds of people voting each day with around 77% in favour of getting the pies back in.

"E-mails have been flying in from all over the world - from Africa to North America to the Middle East.

"I got one from an expat from Springburn who has been in Botswana for 30 years who dreams of having a pint and pie in the Horse Shoe. I hope the management realise its mistake and get the pies back in."

A spokeswoman for Horse Shoe owner Mitchells & Butlers said: "Following a major refurbishment to the kitchens, a new and extended menu is being introduced at the Horse Shoe Bar to broaden its appeal to a wider customer base.

"The three-course value lunch is still available in the upper bar, and the decision to remove pies from the menu can also be attributed to the decline in demand."

Dave Smith, 63, who managed the Horse Shoe before retiring in 2003, said that response was pie in the sky.

He said: "In an average week the bar shifted 300 pies and a lot more when football is on.

"Chef Keith Floyd still pops in. The first thing he asks for is a pie and a pint. People want pub grub in the Horse Shoe - not expensive stuff."

The Scotch pie is also under attack from Scottish Executive legislation as revealed in the Evening Times last May.

A draft copy of new pub licences, to be issued in May 2008, showed one of the condition could be that owners must provide healthy-eating options.

David Hunter's website is at www.horseshoebar.co.uk