Pub Installs Electric Fence To Stop Drinkers Getting To The Bar

As pubs have finally started to reopen their doors following weeks and months of lockdown, landlords have had to change the way they operate to try and enforce social distancing.

But one publican in Cornwall went a step further than plastic screens and flyers, and has installed an electric fence to keep punters away from the bar.

Yep, that'll do it.

Staff at The Star Inn in St Just had just had enough of drinkers flouting their rules and decided that they needed a bit of tough love.

So, along with a notice asking customers politely to keep their distance from one another and staff at the bar, they have installed a fully charged electric fence running along the length of the taps.

Speaking to Cornwall Live, Star Inn landlord Johnny McFadden said it was there to keep people safe.

Cornwall Live

He said: "It's there for social-distancing.

"Before the fence, people were not following social-distancing and were doing as they pleased, but now people take heed to the guidance around social distancing."

Adding: "It's for everybody's benefit."

And while a couple of punters had claimed they had been electrocuted by the fence, Johnny said it's usually switched off.

However, he did warn: "It can be turned on."

It's been a tough time for pubs across the UK during lockdown, with many landlords having to get rid of thousands of pints that could not be sold.

Severn Trent and Thames Water have given permission to pubs in the region to get rid of an incredible 6.5 million pints following the closures during lockdown.

PA

South West Water revealed it had received requests from 1,100 pubs in the area to dispose of unwanted beer.

Earlier this month, the landlord of The Tudor Arms in Gloucestershire said they were 'heartbroken' at having to flush 1,500 pints away.

Richard Sims, manager of The Tudor Arms at Slimbridge, told the BBC: "We had about 13 or 14 barrels left from lockdown and they [Thames Water] gave us three days to do it in.

"To dispense that many pints, it took quite a few hours but it was heart breaking pouring it straight down the drain."

St Austell Brewery was also forced to take action, pulling back 20,000 nine-gallon casks from its pubs, amounting to a total of 1.5 million pints.

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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