The Portman Group has confirmed it will issue a new request for retailers to strip the shelves of the controversial Laverstoke Park Farm beer, as it seeks the final word in the long-running battle with former F1 champion Jody Scheckter.

The group was forced to withdraw a notice asking retailers to remove the product by 7 January, after Laverstoke owner Scheckter went to the High Court late last year.

Last month, despite losing his bid, Scheckter remained defiant, claiming sales of the product had leapt in light of the publicity around the beer following the ruling in November. However this week, a Portman Group spokeswoman said: “We will shortly be re-issuing the ruling and we expect retailers to remove the products.”

It claims the brand is likely to appeal to children because the label features a drawing of Scheckter penned by his son and used across Laverstoke’s food and drink range.

A High Court judge dismissed Scheckter’s calls for a judicial review of the ruling as “devoid of merit” in January.

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