A BRADFORD publican has urged Government ministers to "re-think" how pubs and restaurants can operate in Tier 3 as fears grow that some in the industry will not survive.

Judith Rayner, landlady at the Junction Inn & Kitchen in Queensbury, branded the current system "crazy" and "unfair" as she battles to get her pub included in the furlough scheme.

As the pub officially opened in September, Judith is unable to access furlough payments because they weren't open in the first lockdown.

Read more: Tier changes may kill off small pubs and breweries, warns Bradford bar boss

"We can’t pay them anything because we didn’t open at the right time," she told the Telegraph & Argus.

"I’m sat here frustrated, not being able to help my staff, and we can’t support them. I feel like we’re letting them down. It’s tough."

Like many, when Judith picked up the keys at the start of the first lockdown she assumed it would be over in a couple of weeks and had expected to leave her job working for a supermarket.

Having missed out on trade earlier in the year, the team had been looking towards the Christmas season where they expected to make 25 per cent of its takings.

Now, the future looks more uncertain.

Read more: 'Strong possibility of Tier 3 status,' Bradford Council leader says

Judith said: "We took this pub on the day of lockdown in March. We were in the process of looking at the pub and we said we really liked it. There were a few people interested. We said yes straight away. We opened 5th September and it’s been absolutely fabulous. The momentum's been building and building and now we’re closed again.

"Our chef lives over the other side of Leeds so for him to come over to do a takeaway service it’s just mental.

"We just don’t know what’s going to happen.

"We’ve all followed every guideline going. The shops are going to open next week for Christmas. What do they think is going to happen? The shops are going to be rammed. It’s just going to be crazy as people will feel like caged animals and they’re let loose.

"It just feels cruel really to us abiding by every rule given and we’re just getting pushed back again.

"I’m saying, let’s think about it. Can we look at something for us to be able to get our livelihoods back?

"We want somebody to help us."

The publican has created an online 38Degrees petition to prime minister Boris Johnson with the plea, 'Save our pubs & restaurants'.

It has received almost 300 signatures in a matter of hours from publicans, landlords, brewers and customers.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

In the event pubs can open during the proposed five-day Christmas break, the Government revealed its controversial decision to not allow Christmas bubbles to mix in pubs or restaurants where rules will still depend on which tier each venue is in.  

The British Beer and Pub Association said the decision makes a "mockery" out of pub restrictions.

Judith described the ruling as "crazy".

She continued: "It’s crazy. That is crazy really. Why can’t they come and sit in our pub if they’re in a group? The process we do when a person leaves the pub it’s mental. We wipe all the tables down, we clean it all, sanitise it all. It’s table service. The customers don’t come anywhere near. I bet our pub’s cleaner than some houses.

"If I open Christmas day and I’m serving Christmas lunch how does that work then?"