Plea for a clear route out of lockdown from businesses in the East of England

  • Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Stuart Leithes

Hospitality, leisure and beauty businesses in the Eastern Counties are calling on the government for a roadmap out of lockdown to help secure jobs for the future.

With closure costs mounting, thousands of livelihoods depend on the Prime Minister's plan for lifting restrictions. Boris Johnson is due to set out a step-by-step timetable out of lockdown on Monday 22 February.

In his latest Covid briefing, Mr Johnson stressed the need for caution, saying he wants this lockdown to be the last.

With businesses in the East of England and the rest of the UK still facing uncertainty, the message from them is they need an end in sight.

Publican Dermot King is keen to re-open his pub in Bedfordshire as soon as possible Credit: ITV News Anglia

The British Beer and Pub Association has said many pubs would opt to stay shut even if outdoor hospitality is allowed in April.

Dermot King, landlord of the the White Hart at Ampthill in Bedfordshire, says he's keen to open as soon as possible.

  • Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell

Despite Government support, repeated lockdown has cost The Murderers pub in Norwich tens of thousands of pounds. Even when landlord Phil Cutter worked 80 hour weeks in December, restrictions meant he couldn't turn a profit. He says the plan for lifting lockdown must be clear but cautious.

Mr Cutter added: "A lot of these help schemes from the government are just papering over the cracks.

"There are a lot of pubs out there that weren't making any money anyway so I think sadly there'll be a lot of pubs that close and there's going to be jobs that are lost." For those who've poured their heart, soul - and often savings - into their businesses, next week's announcement is vital. To offer some certainty, or at least some hope, that the closures that have cost them so much might soon come to an end.

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