'We are not making nearly as much as we need to cover bills and I’m not taking a wage anymore. We can’t sustain it much longer.' - Castleford and Pontefract pub landlords on what Covid Tier 3 will mean

Under the rules hospitality venues, such as bars, pubs and restaurants, will remain closed, though will be permitted to continue takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.

Rob Needham, landlord at the Market Tap in Castleford, said: “We are not making nearly as much as we need to cover bills and my wage. I’m not really taking a wage anymore. The little bit we did have coming might stop. We can’t sustain it much longer.

“The government said they use the science but the numbers don’t show the rate being high in hospitality and we were the most heavily policed. We did track and trace, we jumped through all those hoops and they shut us down anyway.”

The pub is still doing click and collect beer until the rules changes.

Rob said: “In my case by supporting us you’re supporting a dream. I wanted to help bring this kind of bar to Castleford.

"People are getting behind it. This is the second craft beer bar in town so people saw light at the end of the tunnel. It was regeneration and momentum, then all this has halted it and could put a stop to it.”

He said a lot of people said they would head to pubs nearby that fall into York postcodes, where Tier 2 restrictions are in force. All of West Yorkshire is in Tier 3.

Scott Wilson, who runs Liquorice Bush and Beastfair Vaults said: “I, along with many other landlords find it appalling, that three households can mix with no social distancing, and then afterwards go round the community and visit friends etc, possibly transmitting the virus.

“The government have hung our industry out to dry, and absolutely no one seems to care. For many of us, our entire life is on hold, with no idea whether they can survive this absolute nightmare we find ourselves in.

“While I agree that the virus is out there, the country cannot and will not survive if things carry on the way they are, businesses are going to the wall on a daily basis, our industry employs 10 per cent of the UK economy.

“The hospitality industry is the 4th biggest employer in the UK, accounting for 3.2m jobs through direct employment and a further 2.8 million indirectly.

“We all have staff, who have no idea whether they will have jobs to come back to.

“The hospitality industry’s voice needs to be heard, we, as an industry, are on our knees.”