300 people turned away from pubs

Pub landlords turned away more than 300 people not from Tier 1 addresses in Herefordshire over the weekend.

Licensees turned away between 250 and 300 people who wanted to drink in local pubs but weren’t from Tier One addresses.

One individual had travelled around 200 miles just to come to the pub.

In a statement, West Mercia Police said: "Turning these people away was a decision by licensees and they had, and continue to have, our full support. Turning down trade must have been especially hard after the year they have had but they were doing it for absolutely the right reasons and in line with Government guidance."

"We also saw how hard businesses were working to comply with Covid-19 safety measures; ensuring there was table service only, staff wearing masks and last orders at 10pm, with some making the decision to close earlier."

One person was given a fixed penalty notice for refusing to wear a mask.