Cheltenham’s Guinness crisis is OVER as exclusive pics reveal thousands of kegs to be shipped to UK in time for Festival

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PUNTERS heading to Cheltenham Festival will be hoping they have the luck of the Irish as they guzzle down as many pints of Guinness as they can muster.

It will be free rein for the 250,000 spectators who crowd into the four-day festival, with our exclusive photos showing there will be no chance of running out of the famous stout as originally feared.

Aerial view of a Diageo depot with numerous kegs loaded onto trucks.

Pictures show the enormous amount of Guinness ready to head to the UK for Cheltenham Festival[/caption]

Numerous beer kegs stacked in a Diageo depot.

Thousands of kegs are coming our way to help avoid a shortage[/caption]

Workers loading kegs with forklifts at a Diageo depot.

Staff have been working hard to keep thirsty racegoers happy[/caption]

Man in a Guinness hat holding three pints of Guinness.

Over a quarter of a million pints of the Black Stuff were guzzled at last year’s festival[/caption]

Horses and jockeys race past a crowded grandstand at the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday, 11[/caption]

Worried pubs and punters had voiced their concerns over a lack of the Black Stuff at this year’s festival, following huge demand causing a shortage in the UK over Christmas.

But thirsty racegoers have been assured kegs are back in the black ahead of next week’s racing festival — with plans in place to avoid any further shortages as we move towards the summer.

Insiders told The Sun that there has been a “significant upscale” in production of Guinness in Ireland since the shortage for UK drinkers.

And our pictures show the phenomenal amount of Guinness heading to Cheltenham ahead of the festival – with thousands of kegs lined up in the Dublin depot.

Last year, more than 265,000 pints – enough to fill three Olympic swimming pools – of Guinness were knocked back by racegoers at the festival, despite the public being asked to fork out £7.50 for a pint.

And they can rest assured that the racecourse’s “Guinness Village” will be flooding with the “Black Gold” next week.

A Diageo spokesperson told The Sun: “While demand for Guinness continues to grow, we have made progress in replenishing stock levels in the UK so supply has returned to more normal levels.

“We’ll continue to manage supply responsibly so consumers can look forward to enjoying high-quality pints throughout both the spring and the summer.”

Aerial view of a large crowd at the Guinness Village during the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham have a Guinness Village during the festival where racegoers can drink the famous stout to their heart’s delight[/caption]

Trucks carrying gallons upon gallons of Guinness were dispatched to the UK[/caption]

Aerial view of numerous beer kegs stacked in a Diageo depot.

Insiders have suggested that there has been a ‘significant upscale’ in production[/caption]

Guinness brewery with large Guinness sign.

The Guinness Storehouse has been pumping out plenty of pints[/caption]

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Local pubs have already got their supplies too.

Matt Beeson, manager of Prestbury Pub round the corner from the racecourse, told The Sun: “We’ve got all the Guinness we need for race week.

“The supply issue is all resolved. Thankfully, it has been sorted in time for the Cheltenham festival.

“I usually go through 45 to 50 kegs during race week. I had been very concerned about supplies but we’ve got all our stocks for the festival.

“It is all systems go.”

Tom Bird, of independent Tailors bar in the heart of Cheltenham, added: “The place will be packed and we’re delighted to have our Guinness stocks secured.”

Diageo revealed Guinness sales have seen “extraordinary” growth in recent months.

The parent firm of the iconic drink said it was “working around the clock” to increase supplies of the stout after a “sell-out” festive period led to shortages at pubs in the UK.