INFURIATED landlords have been left dumbfounded by restrictions which could see their pubs among hundreds of Essex watering holes expected to stay closed.

Research conducted by the British Beer and Pub Association has concluded as many as 600 pubs across the county will have to stay shut due to rules in Tier 2 over serving alcohol.

The concerning report comes after Essex re-entered the Government’s high alert coronavirus category following the end of the second lockdown earlier this week.

The more stringent restrictions only allow pubs and bars to open if they have the capacity to serve a “substantial meal” alongside the purchase of alcohol.

Sheena Valentine, landlord at the Victoria Inn, in North Station Road, Colchester, said the rules made surviving the pandemic a real threat.

The pub is staying closed while the county is in Tier 2.

For the likes of the currently closed Victoria Inn, in Colchester, these latest rules could well prove to be the final nail in the coffin of their treasured business.

She said: “It is ludicrous and makes absolutely no sense to us, because what is the difference between sitting with a pint and sitting with a pizza or whatever?

“It just feels like there is a very anti-pub agenda because you can get alcohol without meals at entertainment venues, so why not pubs?

“Not surviving this is a very real possibility because we can’t keep paying out hand over fist without sufficient support forever.”

Gazette:

The British Beer and Pub Association estimates Essex pubs which are able to open will still see a 58 per cent drop in their December turnover.

Based on the reduced earnings, the association also predicts as many 12,913 pub employees out of a possible 15,064 will not work this month.

David Brady runs the Alma, in Copford, which is one of the watering holes able to keep serving punters.

Since the start of the lockdown he has invested tens of thousands of pounds in ensuring his business is Covid accommodating.

He has blasted the decision to shackle the pub industry and says he truly fears for the future of watering holes.

He said: “So, if you are having a substantial meal with your pint you can’t catch Covid in a pub? It all makes no sense and it is an absolute nightmare because we are having to have three times the amount of staff for half the customers.

“The Government is doing its utmost to make pubs inhospitable and they are making our lives very hard.

“We have lost money since March but we are in too deep to be able to just walk away.”