The owner of Falmouth pub The Moth & The Moon Matt Reay has described the "gutting" feeling of having to close following the announcement of another lockdown.

The pub had been running as an off-licence but had to close under the new guidance after being classed as a hospitality venue with an off-licence rather than a traditional 'retail' off-licence.

The week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out 'further steps' - after existing tiers currently in place have failed to prevent the spread of coronavirus that has been driven by a new variant.

The pub wrote on social media:

"We will be closing The Moth Licence and The Moth & The Moon in accordance with the new lockdown rules until such time as we are allowed, able, and deem it safe again to open."

Speaking to Nub News about the decision, pub owner Matt Reay said:

"We have to close according to the new rules. I don't think it would have been worth the time or money arguing the point, so we're going to spend the time giving the pub a deep clean, do all those little odd jobs and maintenance that I haven't got round to yet and maybe take some time off and wonder how we're going to survive this financially just like everyone else.

"Fingers crossed the government have made the right call in how they're rolling the vaccines out. Personally, I'd have rolled it out first to the sectors of society that are more exposed and active such as obviously frontline health workers, but also teachers pupils, students, retail and hospitality, the people that are more likely to be spreading it.

"They're also the people who, if safe, from the virus can restart the economy and education quicker also bringing down the risk of exposure to more vulnerable groups.

"Thank you so much once again for your support, smiles, and waves whilst manning our little outdoor off-licence, and we look forward to serving you boozy beverages in the near future."

See more news and updates from The Moth and The Moon here.

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