The chair of the Licensed Victuallers Association has said some pubs are considering operating shorter hours over the winter.

Geoff Joughin believes pubs will need to limit business hours due to ’lack of staff’ and ’lack of business’ because of the Covid pandemic.

He said: ’We don’t expect this winter to be very good for pubs.

’Last winter when we’d gotten over the first lockdown, trade was pretty brisk by normal standards because people were spending money they would have spent on holiday and they weren’t leaving the island to spend elsewhere.

’This year though people are likely to be going off from the island and there’s no tourists coming in.

’Obviously we have coach trips and they’re more than welcome but it’s not enough.’

Mr Joughin added he didn’t think people would be going to pubs during the winter.

The chairman of the association explained the situation for pubs now.

He said: ’The situation is that nobody is taking the big money it usually would be at this time of year when the tourism season is in full flow.

’At this moment in time there’s is also caution amongst the local people because there’s so many [tourists] coming in.’

Mr Joughin continued: ’Nobody wants to continue with debts rising.

’You’ve got to carry on taking money but we’re facing months of those debts.

’We’re very much expecting things to be quieter this winter and it’s going to be a really tight year all-round.’

Mr Joughin, owner of Albert Hotel in Douglas, felt mental health of publicans and staff would be a major factor in the decision for many pubs.

’The mental health impact at the moment is not good.

’People are getting agitated, they’re starting to worry, they’re not finding it easy to pay off their debts and there’s worse times coming.

’We’ve already been saddened with a couple of businesses shutting down recently.’

He encouraged anyone to get in touch with him if they were interested in ’forming a small business association to try and have a voice’.

’I would really like the new candidates for Tynwald to think about what they’re getting into and realise what it’s going to be like this winter and be prepared for people who are struggling to ask for help,’ he added.

This comes after Mr Joughin spoke out about the fact he and other business owners were ’not enamoured’ with the government’s further help for the sector.

He voiced concerns that pubs could go to the wall after it was announced earlier this summer that the Business Premises Support Scheme, a grant payment based on the annual cost of commercial premises business rates, would be extended to eligible businesses.

This would include pubs, restaurants and hotels.

It was planned to happen as the island transitioned to unrestricted trading conditions over the months of June, July and August.