He told the publication: “There’s no point in wasting good beer and the landlord just wanted to get rid of it.
“We were not inside the pub drinking, nobody was, I was just standing on the road outside having a pint.”
James has since taken to Twitter and issued a statement, which read: “Apologies for the bad impression. Cycled past at the end of my daily ride. Pub was getting rid of last beer through a hatch, stopped for a quick one, kept social distance from all involved. Pub is not open inside and everyone is actually well apart.”
A passer-by had initially spotted James at his local pub and said they had contacted the police.
The person explained: “I was out jogging and as I went past the pub I saw that the lights were on and there were people standing outside drinking with pints.