THE boss of a bar has questioned whether supermarkets should be allowed to sell alcohol during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pubs and bars have been ordered to close at 10pm and residents in Barrow must not mix with members of other households indoors under Tier 2 restrictions imposed by the Government.

But Andrew Turner, a co-owner of the Odd Frog in Barrow’s Duke Street, has questioned the effectiveness of the 10pm curfew for preventing gatherings and social contact.

Mr Turner said being able to buy alcohol from supermarkets was encouraging people to leave pubs and go drinking with friends in their homes.

He said: “When the 10pm closure time came in we finished at the same time everyone was leaving and we saw how it was in supermarkets, people buying beer to drink in houses.

“By shutting it all down at 10pm, it was condensing congregations of people.”

People who live in the Barrow borough must abide by Tier 2 restrictions at all times, even when visiting other areas.

Concerns have been raised that residents in Barrow have been travelling to Ulverston and other areas outside the borough to visit pubs with friends from outside their households.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that doing so would further spread the virus.

He said in the Commons: “Everybody needs to follow the rules to give Barrow the best chance of coming out of level 2 restrictions.

“If people live in a level 2 area, those rules apply to them even if they travel to a level 1 area.

“If people live in a level 1 area and travel to a level 2 area, when they are there the level 2 restrictions apply.

“I hope that is very simple for everybody to follow.

“If we follow the rules, we can get this virus under control and get Barrow back into level 1, where I am sure everybody who lives there will want to see it.”