A handful of US states, particularly in the south, allow local communities to ban the sale of alcohol after a so-called “dry/wet” referendum.

Now three communities in eastern Kentucky - Lee County, McKee in Jackson County and Elkhorn City in Pike County - have reversed their long-standing local prohibition, LEX 18 reports.

Elkhorn City residents voted to overturn the ban by 262-202 despite Mayor Mike Taylor calling for it to continue.

Voters in Lee County voted by 1,243-779 to repeal their ban, while the referendum passed in McKee by 100-81.