A pub landlord has revealed that he’s been forced to pour away up to £1500 worth of beer, cider and lager due to a government ban on takeaway alcohol. He says he expects half of all pubs to close for good due to the impact of the pandemic.
A pub landlord who hails from Somerset has told ITV News that he was forced to pour away between £1000- £1500 worth of drinks and that his business is losing money every month during the coronavirus pandemic.
Patrick Mahony says that he stocked up on products in anticipation of being able to sell takeaway alcohol during the nationwide lockdown, but was left with no use for the stock when it was announced that alcohol takeout would be banned due to concerns people would congregate outside venues.
“The last thing I’d want to do is put a bundle of bank notes on the table and set fire to them – but that’s basically what it feels like I’ve just done,” Mahony said.
“Because we can’t do takeaway alcohol this time, which we were able to in the previous lockdown, I’ve got more stock in the cellar than I would have had if I’d known we weren’t going to be able to sell.
“I’m going to have to throw between £1,000 and £1,500 worth of beer, cider and lager away because it’s gone off.”
"The last thing I’d want to do is put a bundle of bank notes on the table and set fire to them – but that’s basically what it feels like I’ve just done." https://t.co/FmJIvQKvdm
— ITV News West Country (@itvwestcountry) February 16, 2021
Despite selling takeaway meals, Patrick says that his popular Somerset pub is losing roughly £4,000 a month.
“At the moment we’re taking about £1,000 a week. We’ve also got rent and insurance of £1,000 a week to pay, we’ve got staff to pay, we’ve got gas, electricity – we’re spending about £10,000 a month for a £4,000 income. We’re losing money.
“The government grants offset that to an extent but we’re getting in about 60 per cent of what we need to.”
There are conflicting reports surrounding the reopening of pubs, with some suggesting that they might be allowed to welcome customers in April if they are not serving alcohol.
H/T: ITV News
