Bridgnorth landlord reflects on 10pm closing time already in place

Boris Johnson warned the UK was at a “perilous turning point” as he abandoned efforts to get more workers back into offices, ordered wider use of face masks and confirmed the 10pm curfew on pubs.

This means venues will no longer benefit from late night custom, with other stringent measures such as enforced face coverings and table service only also coming into force.

Andy Corfield, of the Crown, is one landlord who has become used to an early call of last orders, shutting the doors to his High Street venue at 10pm since reopening on July 4.

Mr Corfield said: "We've already been closing at 10pm, partly due to the extra cost of having door staff on.

"We did it right from the start, as soon as we reopened in July.

"It was our first Saturday night and as it was difficult to control and maintain social distancing in a venue the size of mine, and with the number of staff we have, it was a case of it being safer for my staff and customers to close at 10pm.

"After a couple of weeks it filtered through to all of our regulars and people came in early to enjoy a pint before moving on to somewhere else."

With the Crown having a head start to adapting to a 10pm finish, Mr Corfield said the blanket rule could mean people adjust their drinking habits to starting earlier.

"With having table service only – it'll be challenging to change the way we operate but it will give the place a different dimension," he said.

"With face masks, I've always said to staff they can wear them if they want to, it's been optional. They haven't been previously but it will become mandatory which I don't think is a problem.

"I think for other late night venues, the 10pm curfew is going to have a big impact on trade."

Mr Corfield added: "People may come out earlier now. The trouble we're not getting here because we close earlier, are we now going to get that? We won't know until a week or so in."

Businesses face fines or closure for failing to comply with coronavirus rules and people face £200 penalties for failing to wear masks where required or breaching the “rule of six”. In Wales, pubs will also close at 10pm while residents have been asked to only make "necessary journeys".