Pubs in Brighton are holding X Factor nights to reclaim drinkers lost to ITV's Saturday night talent show.

The Long Man of Wilmington in Patcham and The Plough Inn at Rottingdean are to start televising the singing competition which is estimated to have claimed about 13 million viewers last Saturday.

Punters at The Long Man will benefit from cheap drinks between 8pm and 9.30pm, when the finalists will be strutting their stuff on the box.

The Plough Inn will hold an X-Factor finals ticket night, with a buffet, nibbles and drinks.

A spokeswoman for the Golden Lion Group, which runs the pubs, said: “The locals said they would rather come over and have some food than stay in and watch the final.

“Generally, traders everywhere have found things going backward since X Factor and I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! but it could just be people going into town instead of staying local.

“It’s just one of those things where you try to drag people out of their houses rather than letting them sit at home drinking in front of the telly.

“Since doing this I would’ve thought that a few more people might think about coming out to watch it.”