PUB GOERS in Colchester shelled out more cash in the pub when allowed back indoors, but limits on social contact mean spending is still below pre-pandemic levels.
Hospitality and pub industry leaders have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanding support for their sector following the delay to the planned lifting of all restrictions on June 21.
Banking firm Revolut analysed the data of its 4,000 customers in Colchester between May 17 - when indoor hospitality resumed - and June 13.
Colchester punters spent more than twice as much in pubs over this period than they did compared to the previous month - when only outdoor hospitality was allowed.
But spending was still 51 per cent below the level recorded in February 2020, before the pandemic struck.
Mr Johnson pushed back the end of England’s coronavirus restrictions to July 19 due to concerns over the rapidly spreading Delta variant first identified in India.
Revolut figures also show that spending in restaurants across Britain was still 51 per cent below normal in the four weeks to June 13.
In Colchester, it was 46 per cent below the pre-pandemic baseline.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here