A POPULAR Leigh pub has created a special Tier 2 menu to ensure they follow the guidelines put in place by the government.

Pubs across south Essex were able to open their doors for the first time in close to a month on Wednesday, but punters could only buy a drink alongside what is deemed to be a substantial meal.

With south Essex placed into Tier 2, only people of the same household can visit pubs for table service and the rule of six applies outdoors.

CAMRA suggest 10,000 pubs across the country could be facing extinction because of coronavirus restrictions.

The Peterboat was among the pubs to welcome punters back earlier this week, with members of the community keen to return to their local boozer.

David Perl, duty manager at the pub, was pleased to see the new menu prove to be a hit.

He said: “We are running a Tier 2 menu to make sure we follow the current government guidelines.

“It includes five dishes which are on our main menu but at a cheaper price and smaller portions.

“That hasn’t really been a problem for us because we will still serve as much food as we did before because a lot of people bought food with their drink anyway.

“In that respect, it isn’t that different at the moment.

“But, at the same time, a lot of people didn’t realise they had to order a substantial meal with a drink, so we had to explain that we had no choice because of the regulations in place.”

The Mayflower also swung open its doors as the second national lockdown came to an end earlier this week.

The Leigh pub has offered heartwarming dishes along the Essex coast for some time and the adjoining fish and chip shop allowed the Mayflower to bring in money while other watering holes were unable to boast any form of income during lockdown.

Irene Ovcher, the Mayflower’s manager, said: “We kept the chip shop open during lockdown, so we offered a takeaway service and were still able to bring money in that way.

“It was pleasing to see that pay off because the lockdown period was incredibly tough for businesses up and down the country.

“We were pleased to reopen the pub on Wednesday, although it wasn’t as busy as we originally expected.

“Having said that, everyone followed the new rules regarding a substantial meal.”

However, some pubs in south Essex opted against reopening as soon as the second national lockdown ended.

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The Railway, in Prittlewell, made the decision not to and are keeping the decision under constant review, while punters will head back to Bar Monico for the first time today.

Bar Monico, on Canvey, has made strides to ensure they are ready to offer customers a substantial meal.

Suzanne Gray, the pub’s owner, said: “We own a restaurant, Jimmy Mac’s, and have drafted in kitchen staff from there to help us.

“They have put together a menu which offers food a bit more substantial than a scotch egg!

“We are not reopening until today because of having to retrain staff and we wanted to be fully prepared.”

Mark Mawson, owner of the Southend-based Mawson’s Micropub and George’s Brewery, does not approve of the new regulations which have been put in place to combat against the spread of coronavirus.

He said: “The Tier 2 restrictions are seriously impacting my businesses as we supply pubs that are not geared as food outlets.

“I cannot fathom how we can come out of lockdown, during which no pubs were allowed to be open, and effectively take the blame for a rise in infection rates.

“There is not a shred of evidence that i have seen that our industry, public houses and hospitality is in any way to blame for the rises.”