Pubs face fines of up to £10k for breaking lockdown

For a first offence, the fixed penalty is £1,000, second offence would be £2,000, third is £4,000 and for a fourth offence £10,000.

This is similar to the repercussions pubs faced when reopening where an offence for breaking Covid-secure guidelines where businesses would face £10,000 fines.

Pubs have to close their doors once more from the early hours of tomorrow morning (one minute past midnight Thursday 5 November) as part of the second national lockdown.

Financial support

All but “essential” businesses in England have to shut their doors until Wednesday 2 December but schools and universities can remain open.

Trade bodies have reacted to the lockdown​ with concerns for the nation’s thousands of pubs, which reopened on 4 July.

Chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association Emma McClarkin warned thousands of pubs would be lost forever if financial support did not exceed that of the first lockdown.

"As a sector we are of course devastated to have to close our pubs and are fearful for their future, but we recognise the situation and that the spread of Covid-19 is serious," she said.

Cost implications

Meanwhile, UKHospitality warned the cost of a second lockdown to hospitality businesses would be heavier than the first.

"The sector was hit hardest and first, and this recent shutdown will hurt for months and years to come," a spokesperson said.

During the shutdown, pubs can apply for a grant of up to £3,000​. The Local Restrictions Support Grant, which had helped businesses ordered to close in local tier three lockdowns, is available for businesses required to close in national measures.

The grants will be based on business rates, similar to the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) available for the first lockdown last spring.