PUBS forced to contend with the pandemic need as much government support as possible, the chairman of a Furness campaign group has said.

Dave Stubbins, of Furness Campaign For Real Reale Ale, said it was 'every little helps' after Prime Minster Boris Johnson announced that 'wet pubs’ which do not serve food will be given a one-off coronavirus emergency payment of £1,000 in December.

It comes as Cumbria leaves lockdown and enters back into Tier 2 restrictions, which means pubs can only sell drinks alongside 'substantial' meals.

The Camra chairman welcomed support for pubs following concerns the Government was not doing enough to help.

He said: "What's important is these pubs survive and it's about whatever they need to survive.

"It's vital that these pubs are still going.

"The pub industry is a difficult industry. It's a very challenging industry to be in. "But there are some people who have worked so hard to have a go and adapt.

"I applaud the guys. I hope they keep going and we can all have a drink when it's safe."

On the hospitality sector, Mr Johnson reeled off a list of support already announced, before telling MPs in Parliament: “Today we’re going further, with a one-off payment of £1,000 in December to wet pubs – that’s pubs that do not serve food.

"Recognising how hard they’ve been hit by this virus in what is typically their busiest month.”

The Campaign for Pubs, the national grassroots campaign group representing pubs, publicans and pub-goers had issued an urgent call for a package of support for all UK pubs and publicans to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, following the announcement that thousands of pubs will be shut through December, due to being in Tier 2 or 3 in the Government’s tiers of Covid restrictions.

Paul Crossman, chair of the Campaign for Pubs, said: "The measures imposed upon almost the whole of England will be catastrophic for an enormous number of pubs, unless the Government urgently fulfils its duty to put in place the level of support that is really needed.

"So we call on the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to wake up to this catastrophe and act to save the Great British pub and a key part of our nation's identity and culture."

“The current grant levels are simply insufficient for any pub to meet the real costs of closure.

"Tier 3 is clearly a hospitality lockdown, but Tier 2 is also an effective lockdown for many of our most precious community pubs because so many do not serve food."