Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Nov 24, 2025

Pub landlords find way around lockdown as Brits drink takeaway pints al fresco

Britain’s boozers aren’t officially due to re-open until July at the earliest, but landlords have found ways to serve cold pints during the lockdown.
All bars, clubs and restaurants were ordered on March 20 to close for the foreseeable future as the Government tried to contain the spread of coronavirus. But as the weather is getting hotter and emergency measures are gradually eased, pubs have been serving drinks on the go for people to enjoy al fresco.

Staff at the Althorp pub, in Wandsworth, London, were seen wearing gloves and protective visors as they carried drinks on trays to thirsty putners. Customers took their drinks onto the nearby common as they soaked up the sun.

Visitors on Brighton beach were seen carrying beer in plastic cups as Britain was blessed with 28°C earlier this week. Among those taking advantage of this loophole was actor Laurence Fox, who was spotted sipping a pint in London’s Primrose Hill on Monday.

As people head to parks and beaches for a cold one with their pals, concerns have been raised about whether social distancing can be easily followed.

One drinker on Brighton’s seafront told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘I know we’re down here drinking beer so it looks like we’re saying what’s good for us is not good for everyone else, but if we carry on the way we’re going I think we’re going to have a major lockdown in two weeks, the way that we let the restrictions up.

‘In two weeks I think we’re going to see a massive rise in the deaths again. ‘I think we should be more stricter like Spain and none of us be allowed out.’

Mayor of the London borough of Hackney Phil Glanville has concerns over the number of people gathering around the area’s Broadway Market, where a number of cafes and pubs are selling takeaways.

Last month he told the Hackney Gazette: ‘Police and council enforcement officers were deployed to the area on Sunday, and, from this weekend, we are proposing to suspend parking, close Broadway Market to through-traffic and deploy additional police and council officers to advise people and businesses to stick to the guidance.’

Industry body UK Hospitality has submitted a 75-page document to ministers, giving a first glimpse of what bars and restaurants could look like when they are officially allowed to open.

Proposals include condiments and cutlerly not being left on tables, menus being cleaned after every use, restrictions on customers hanging around the bar, socially distanced tape on the floor and an end to hotel buffets.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
×