Welsh drinkers head for final night out before bars are banned from selling booze

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Drinkers in Wales have taken to pubs to enjoy their final pints before bars are banned from selling alcohol and forced to shut as 6pm.   

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford made a desperate last-minute plea with people not to travel to England to visit pubs or go Christmas shopping. 

The Welsh Labour leader’s plea on Friday came as tougher restrictions on the hospitality sector came in across Wales, with pubs, bars and restaurants unable to sell alcohol and forced to close at 6pm.

But a relaxing of travel restrictions in Wales means people will be able to go between the country and areas of England under Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Mr Drakeford urged the Welsh public not to use the new freedoms to travel across the border for Christmas shopping deals or in search of a drink in areas where pubs and restaurants can sell alcohol.

It comes after drinkers turned out in force in Wales last night for a final session before pubs are banned from selling alcohol tonight leaving bosses to throw away 40,000 pints of beer. 

Richard Anstee, managing director of Glamorgan Brewing Company in Llantrisant, said he had no other choice but to dump 325 casks after the move was announced.

He added that he is expecting to lose £1.35million in sales because of the lockdown rules. 

The devastated businessman said he started to dispose of all casks which were set to be delivered to 600 Welsh pubs in time for December.

Hundreds of kegs were opened up with thousands pints of beer sent spilling out onto the floor before heading down the drains.

The brewery began planning for Christmas back in August but, as a result of the Welsh Government’s announcement earlier this week, around ‘30,000 or 40,000 pints’ would be poured away. 

Youngsters headed out in Cardiff and Swansea before the strict new measures come into force.

The hospitality sector has been rocked by the move, which will see a 6pm curfew on pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes – including a blanket ban on selling booze.

But in a final blow-out last night friends hugged each other outside watering holes in Cardiff with face coverings tucked under their chins.

Meanwhile police were out in force in Swansea to enforce social distancing as women hit the bars in high heels and dresses despite the cold weather. 

Asked whether people can go Christmas shopping in border areas such as Hereford or Oswestry, which are in Tier 2, Mr Drakeford told the Welsh Government’s press briefing on Friday: ‘The law in Wales will not prevent people from going there.

‘The advice from the Welsh Government is not to do it, because the further you travel and the more people you mix with elsewhere, the greater the risk you pose.

‘This is a year to go Christmas shopping in Wales, and close to home. Because in that way you can both celebrate Christmas, and you can do it without posing a risk to yourself and others.’

Asked what is stopping people in Wales flocking into English cities and towns where they would be allowed to drink alcohol, Mr Drakeford said: ‘The law would not require people in Wales not to travel to a Level 2 or Tier 2 area outside Wales.

‘The clear and unambiguous advice to people is not to do it. Because to do it is to add to the risks that we are already facing, and those risks are already driving coronavirus rates rapidly upwards.

‘So please, don’t do it. It’s not good for you, it’s not good for anybody you know, it’s not good for the rest of the population of Wales.’

Mr Drakeford added there is ‘a very big difference’ between a person travelling a long distance to a pub or bar in England and going to one on a person’s doorstep near the border.   

Mr Drakeford outlined the raft of measures for the hospitality sector on Monday and plunged the country into a lockdown just weeks after the last one.

Under the new guidelines, pubs, bars and restaurants will only be allowed to remain open until 6pm from Friday, and operate as takeaways afterwards.

And they will not be allowed to serve alcoholic drinks under a scheme like that in place in Scotland for weeks. 

It prompted bosses to issue a rallying cry and urge the Welsh government to provide ‘proof’ their customers are more likely to catch Covid-19 in their establishments. 

Mr Anstee said: ‘It’s catastrophic. It’s our busiest month of the year and it’s where we take all our money which will take us through the quieter months of January and February and it’s just going to kill every single Welsh brewer out there.

‘We’ve planned for Christmas for the last three to four months. This isn’t something that we can turn off and on so by just having four days notice to shift hundreds and hundreds of kegs of beer, it’s just killed us.

‘In pints there’s 15,000 pints in every container so we’ll probably get rid of 30,000 or 40,000 pints.

‘We will try to sell some through our small brewery shop but we’ve planned and we’ve geared up for the month of December so we’ve got literally hundreds of kegs there ready for all the pubs in Wales that will most likely go down the drain because they’ve all got an expiry date coming.

‘Last December we turned over £1.4 million. This year we’ll be lucky to take £50,000 in our shop so it’s monumental how much money we’ll lose.’ 

Mr Drakeford said: ‘Unfortunately, the virus is moving incredibly quickly across Wales and is eroding the gains we made during the firebreak period.

‘This virus – and this pandemic – continues to be full of unpleasant surprises.

‘It thrives on our normal human behaviour and all those places and opportunities where we come together.’

He added: ‘I recognise just how hard the hospitality and (leisure) sectors have worked to comply with the regulations.

‘I know the new restrictions will be difficult, coming as they do at one of the busiest times of the year.’

But he warned: ‘We continue to face a virus that is moving incredibly quickly across Wales, and it is a virus that will exploit every opportunity when we spend time with one another.’

Mr Anstee said: ‘When it comes to Christmas we start planning in September, we start brewing in October to November.

‘One of our problems is, which is usually a good problem, we have one of the best selling Christmas beers in Wales. We have 325 casks of beer waiting to go out to pubs which won’t get used now.

‘All this stock has expiry dates. We will lose hundreds of thousands of pounds on stock.

‘We will just open the casks and pour it down the drain in our brewery.

‘It has killed the trade on its best month of the year.’ 

He added he has spoken to supermarket suppliers this week who are planning on increasing alcohol orders by 25 per cent, however this does not compensate for the stock lost that cannot be repurposed.

The brewery has a small shop on site and will try to repackage some into 2-4 pint bottles however it won’t be enough.

He explained that the financial blow will be staggering for the company, who also have their own pub which will be closing on Friday.

Mr Anstee said: ‘Last year the December turnover was £1.4m, this year we will be lucky to turn over £50,000.

‘It is catastrophic for the industry.

‘We support everything they say, all the health measures but they are not showing us the evidence and data.

‘What we are doing now is just a home delivery service. People can pick up the phone to us and order on the phone, we can’t do much else.’ 

Revellers in Wales squeezed in one last drink or two today – before all booze sales were halted.

The shutters came down at 6pm after the Welsh Government banned all sales of alcohol in bars and restaurants.

So the streets of Cardiff were full with workers and shoppers grabbing one last pint, glass of wine or cocktail before ‘the new prohibition’ kicked in.

Helen-Marie Rees, 23, said: ‘It seems crazy not be having a drink after 6pm today for the rest of 2020 – unbelievable.

‘If anyone had told you a year ago that all the pubs would be dry for Christmas then you would think they were bonkers.

‘But that’s the way it is – so we are making the most of it.’

She and three friends were out downing gin and juice in a cocktail bar before the alcohol ban kicked in.

Fellow officer worker Sian Ellery, 25, said: ‘It is our big girls afternoon out for Christmas. We are going to make the most of every second.’

Young people were seen flocking to bars and restaurants for one last night of drinking before the alcohol ban came in.

It comes after First Minister Mark Drakeford banned booze being sold in pubs and introduced a 6pm curfew on hospitality.

Youngsters were seen taking selfies and singing in the streets of Cardiff to celebrate their last piece of alcohol freedom.

But Welsh drinkers will still be able to legally nip over the border for a pint in England – because border patrols will be dropped.

It means those wanting a festive tipple can go to Tier Two border areas such as parts of Gloucestershire, as well as Herefordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.

They could even make a trip to London for a pub drink as long as they order a ‘substantial meal.’

The Welsh Government said it would be ‘strongly advising people in Wales not to travel to other parts of the UK with lower levels of coronavirus.’