'Messy' pub rules cause confusion on England/Wales border

Bosses of neighbouring pubs have expressed frustration over "messy" rules, which means one can serve alcohol and one cannot.

Pubs in England's Tier 2 can now serve alcohol as part of a substantial meal.

However Welsh pubs are to be banned from serving alcohol under new rules to tackle a rise in coronavirus cases.

It means different restrictions for The Bell Inn and the Boat Inn, 170 m (180 yards) apart on opposite sides of the River Wye in the village of Redbrook.

Debbie Burch, the landlady of the Boat Inn, on the Monmouthshire side of the river, said she was going to serve non-alcoholic drinks, as she cannot serve alcohol from 18:00 GMT on Friday.

"The rules should be the same. Maybe [The Bell Inn] should be allowed to serve a drink with a meal and then close at 6pm, that would have made sense.

"It is a mess. To try to fathom all the rules out is a nightmare."

Nick Till, landlord of the Bell Inn, on the Gloucestershire side of the Wye, said he had sympathy for the Boat Inn.

"I think both pubs would have hoped we had the same list of rules to adhere to.

"There's no one-upmanship involved. We just want our normal trade."

Mr Till said he was unsure whether he was now allowed to serve somebody who came from the Welsh side of the river.

Rules state people can now travel to Tier 1 and 2 areas of England from Wales, but before they could only go to England if it was essential.

"It's not very clear. It's just a mess," he said.

Mr Till added he would reopen at the weekend, and was already fully booked for a curry night on Saturday, but being in England's Tier 2 was "not ideal".

"Basically we're a locals pub, and to expect them to come out and have a meal every time they want to use the pub is a bit ridiculous.

"It feels negative, like we've gone backwards after being locked down for a month."

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