UK hails man who fled attack holding beer as unlikely hero

London: People in the UK have responded to the deadly London Bridge attack with sorrow and distinctly British humour, hailing a man pictured walking away from the mayhem holding a pint of beer as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of defiance.

Television footage of crowds running away from the attack that killed seven includes a man in a red top walking slowly with a mostly full beer in his hand.

A picture of the man was posted on Twitter by Howard Mannella, who tweeted: "People fleeing #LondonBridge but the bloke on the right isn't spilling a drop. God Bless the Brits!" The comment received tens of thousands of retweets.

Some joked on social media about London's notoriously high prices. Twitter user Andrew Brooks said in response to the photo: "Evacuate? Well, OK. But this beer cost £6 a pint. I'm taking it with me."

Others mocked US newspaper headlines claiming London was "reeling" or "under siege."

Actor-comedian Chris Addison encouraged people to tweet ways in which they were reeling.

Responses included "Going to IKEA for meatballs and maybe a rug," ''I've just had some cornflakes. Off to the pub in a bit" and "Currently watching 'Sing' on DVD, might mow the lawn later, going to the local Turkish restaurant for tea.