The chairman of Shepton Mallet Chamber of Commerce has welcome the broad remit businesses in the town have to reopen after the national lockdown, but has expressed concern that pubs have been made a scapegoat over the increased spread of coronavirus.

Alan Stone was reacting following the announcement today that Somerset will go into Tier 2: High Alert from Wednesday December 2.

Mr Stone told Shepton Mallet Nub News that pubs he had visited in recent months had been acting responsibly and it was a shame they seemed to have tighter restrictions.

"It is, of course, a huge shame that the continued increase in Covid has led to the Tier rating for Shepton Mallet and Mendip being increased to very high - Tier 2," he said.

"The harder social restrictions on social mixing will make all our lives so much more tense and less enjoyable, though 2,000 people are now allowed to go and watch sport!

"From the point of view of the Chamber of Commerce it is the restrictions on business that concern us.

"Actually with the government keen to let businesses operate as normal this is a lot broader than may have been expected. Just about all shops and services are allowed to operate as normal, including even restaurants.

"The one area with tight restrictions would appear to be pubs. There are articles in the press claiming that pubs and pub-goers have been made a scapegoat. This is very difficult to deny.

"The only figures I have seen suggest that three per cent of Covid comes from pubs. I have not seen a figure that suggest how much comes from contact in supermarkets!

"All the pubs I have been to have taken a very responsible attitude to social distancing and cleanliness - OK, some late night city pubs may be different - but I have been very happy in the ones I have been to in recent months. I know a number of publicans, local businesses, who are very close to giving up.

"What I find even worse is that there does not appear to be any clear path for a local authority area (Mendip in our case) to move back to Tier 1.

"What has to happen? What is the time scale? Is it down to the government to decide?

"In the mean time if you live in the Isle of Wight or the Scilly Isles you can glorify in still being Tier 1!

"But it is all right. Most transmission appears to be in the home so we can have four or five unfettered days over Christmas!"