Celtic and Rangers fans urged to stay at home as warning issued to Cumbrian pubs

Several bars and pubs in Cumbria have been contacted by Scottish football fans looking to visit during the Old Firm match on Saturday, according to Cumbria Police.

Celtic and Rangers supporters and venues have been warned ahead of the match that the rule of six will be strictly enforced by Cumbria Police.

New restrictions in the central belt of Scotland mean fans will not be able to watch the match in licensed premises.

Superintendent Matt Kennerley said: “We understand restrictions on licensed premises in Scotland might offer the temptation to travel south of the border to visit our pubs and bars – but anybody breaching rules here does face a fine.

 “We would like licensees to be aware of this and to think carefully about their responsibilities and the rules in place to protect everyone.

 “For people in the central belt of Scotland, it is also important to remember the Scottish Government is asking those people to think carefully about whether they need to travel outside their local health board area.

 “Our officers will be out in town centres and busy areas to enforce breaches of the regulations.”

A Carlisle City Council spokesperson said: “Our priority is the safety of the pubs and rules are in place to protect everyone."We urge local businesses to comply with the new legal requirements or they could face getting a fixed penalty notice or prosecution."All employers have a legal responsibility under Health and Safety Law to assess and manage the risk of Covid-19 and protect workers and customers. "This means businesses need to think about the risks they face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them.”