PUB and cafe bosses say they will not reopen this weekend because of safety concerns.

The Government has given the green light for revellers to return to drinking establishments and eateries from Saturday.

But several pubs and cafes in Furness will not reopen, with bosses citing safety concerns and fears over a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lisa Clark, the co-owner of Smiler’s in Barrow’s Dalton Road said her cafe would continue to deliver takeaways but would not reopen physically for customers.

“We are going to be overly cautious. We are handling hundreds of meals every day.

“We’ve had to make quite a lot of changes inside and we don’t want to have to go back to that if there is a second lockdown.”

The Hot Mango Cafe and Bistro in Ulverston also announced it would not be reopening, with bosses saying they had made a ‘tough decision’ but this weekend was not ‘the right time’ .

Pubs are expected to impose one-way systems for customers, table service and staff will be wearing protective equipment after the Government released guidelines.

The Ambrose Hotel in Barrow, the Bridge in Dalton and the Piel Castle in Ulverston are among pubs that will not reopen on Saturday.

Mark Webb, landlord of the Bridge, said on Facebook: “I’ve ploughed through the 43 pages off guidance some of which are doable & common sense and some are downright depressing. So after much consideration, working through risk assessments specific to the layout, I will not be opening in the current situation.”