Pub named The Midget in honour of the classic car changes its name after disability lecturer with dwarfism says it is offensive

A pub called The Midget is to change its name after a lecturer with dwarfism labelled it offensive.

The watering hole, in Abingdon takes its name from the classic MG sports car which was manufactured in the Oxfordshire town, and was opened as 'The Magic Midget' in 1974.

But the name was labelled 'disablist hate speech' by disabilities studies lecturer Dr Erin Pritchard.

Dr Pritchard, who teaches at Liverpool Hope University, said that she and other people with dwarfism find the term 'offensive'.

She previously campaigned for Marks and Spencer to rename their Midget Gem sweets to Mini Gems.

The pub's new name, The Roaring Rainbow, takes after classic MG car EX181, which smashed a speed record of 245.6 miles per hour in 1957.

Dr Pritchard spoke with the owners of the bar, brewers Greene King, which is set to reopen the venue with the new name in December following a renovation, the Telegraph reported.

Its managing director Zoe Bowley said the new branding would honour the town's heritage while ensuring the pub remains a place 'where everyone feels welcome'.

Dr Pritchard, whose online petition attracted over 1,000 signatures, said the original name was a 'derogatory slur' which wouldn't be tolerated against any other minority group.

She added the term should be 'confined to the history books'. She wrote in her book, entitled Disability Hate Speech, that the word 'midget' originated in Victorian freak shows.

The lecturer also discussed her condition on the Channel 4 documentary Dating with Dwarfism.

Greene King previously found itself in hot water over a pub called 'The Black Bitch' in Linlithgow, West Lothian, amid fears the name could be seen as racist.

Its origins derived from a female greyhound that formed part of the town's traditional crest - but pub bosses opted to rename it The Willow Tree regardless.