Parts of South West may face some of the toughest restrictions in the country when lockdown ends

Parts of the South West are expected to face some of the toughest restrictions in the country when the current lockdown ends next Wednesday.

It follows the Prime Minister announcement today, 23rd November, regarding the updated tier system. Ministers won't decide which tiers different areas are in until later this week, but it's unlikely the whole region will return to the lowest tier because of the high number of cases.

Hospitality businesses are likely to be the worst affected such as Goff's Brewery in Cheltenham.

Brewing has almost come to a complete stop during lockdown but as the industry opens next week it's still not clear how tough the restrictions will be for the pubs and bars it supplies.

Bristol could face some of the toughest restrictions in the region which is a worry for businesses in the city.

At the Homewood Park hotel in Bath, they are ready for Christmas but having lost hundreds of thousands of pounds this year they need visitors back.

North Somerset is also likely to move into a higher tier of restrictions - in step with the wider Bristol region - when the national lockdown ends, council bosses say.

Council chiefs say that the level of tier North Somerset will sit-in could be in part be decided by the geography of the health system - currently shared with Bristol and South Gloucestershire - as well as local cases.

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