Tier 3 will mean 'mass of trade' lost for Black Country pubs
A pub owner has spoken of his concerns at the region being placed in Tier 3 in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Bobby Basran, owner of The New Merridale pub in Wolverhampton, said the news did not come as a surprise and he hadn't placed an order with his supplier.
All of the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham will be under Tier 3 when the national lockdown ends on December 2 - forcing much of the hospitality sector to shut down.
Under Tier 3 measures, pubs and restaurants have to close except for deliveries and takeaways
He said: "I thought we could've been in Tier 2 in Wolverhampton but the Government seems to be looking at regions as people would just go from Birmingham to Wolverhampton otherwise.
"I think from a business perspective it's one of those things, Christmas is normally a bumper time of the year as everyone wants to celebrate with friends and family but it doesn't give much potential to plan as I know it's going to be reviewed in two weeks but that's a week before Christmas.
"There's a mass of trade which has been lost for the sector as a whole which will never be recovered.
"January and February are traditionally quiet months as people have overindulged so they have dry January, it's testing times.
"We'll be closed, not doing takeaways, it's not worth the effort.
"I was expecting that the Midlands would be in Tier 2 or Tier 3, it was never going to be in Tier 1.
"The deaths are the highest since May so we would expect it.
"We would open if we were Tier 2. But we wouldn't have much time before Christmas, it's all a bit of a catch 22.
"The way that it's going I think we'll be held in Tier 3 for the rest of the month.
"I was speaking to our suppliers and we haven't placed orders, the news didn't take me by surprise.
"From a business perspective yes when you look at your accounts it's not a great month to look at."
Meanwhile Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, has called on the Government to give “clear epidemiological evidence as to why the hospitality sector is forced to close in Tier 3”.