It's going to be 'survival of the fittest' warns Northumberland pub landlady as new restrictions loom

Legal restrictions on indoor mixing between households in any setting come into force across Northumberland from 00.01am on Wednesday, September 30.

Jackie McDougall, landlady at the Blue Bell Inn on Clayport Street, said: "I think a lot of pubs will close. It’s going to be especially hard for smaller venues.

"I’m fortunate in having one of the larger pubs in Alnwick but, even so, with perhaps just one person per table, we’re going to have a significantly reduced capacity.

"I can comfortably fit 28 in the front room of my pub now but, with the new restrictions, it could well be down to 10-15 people. What’s it going to be like for those with smaller capacity?

"The pubs and wider hospitality industry are vital for a town like Alnwick. If we lose them, a vibrant part of the economy goes too.

"It’s going to be survival of the fittest and it’s not fair.

"I wouldn’t be at all surprised if, out of 10 pubs in the town, only six or seven were here in a year’s time.”

She also believes the tighter restrictions are ‘unnecessary’ given the relatively low rate of Covid-19 infections in the Alnwick area.

“Every pub, restaurant and cafe has jumped through hoops to get where we are,” said Jackie.

“What annoys me is that we have had track and trace measures and temperature checks in place since we reopened in July. We have gone above and beyond what we were supposed to do, as have lots of others.

"We have had no cases of Covid-19 in our pub and I don’t know of any others pubs in Alnwick which have had any.”

She was also shocked to find out about the restrictions from a customer who had watched Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s announcement on TV.

"They must have known a while in advance that this announcement was going to be made,” said Jackie. “I don’t know why they couldn’t have informed hospitality places in the North East that it was going to happen.”

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