PUB giant Greene King has confirmed plans to cut about 800 jobs and close dozens of pubs after trade slumped following the 10pm hospitality curfew - however, the future of pubs in Somerset is not yet known.

In a statement on released today (October 7), the company, which is one of Britain's biggest pub chains, said it will keep 79 of its sites shut for the time being, with about one third of these closures expected to be permanent.

The firm also called on the Government to provide support for the hospitality sector while tightened restrictions, such as the recent 10pm curfew, remain in place.


READ MORE: Taunton pub to remain closed for the timebeing says pub chain


What have Greene King said?

A spokeswoman for Greene King said: “The continued tightening of the trading restrictions for pubs, which may last another six months, along with the changes to government support was always going to make it a challenge to reopen some of our pubs.

“Therefore, we have made the difficult decision not to reopen 79 sites, including the 11 Loch Fyne restaurants we announced last week.

“Around one-third will be closed permanently and we hope to be able to reopen the others in the future.

“We are working hard with our teams to try and find them a role in another of our pubs wherever possible.

“We urgently need the Government to step in and provide tailored support to help the sector get through to the spring and prevent further pub closures and job losses.”

Which pubs will close?

The locations of the pubs that Greene King plans to shut have not yet been revealed.

In Somerset, Greene King pubs include the Hideout in Castle Green, Taunton, the Quantock, in Wembdon Road, Bridgwater, the Malt Shovel, also in Bridgwater and the Railway, in Burnham-on-Sea.

Last month Greene King said The Hideout, in Taunton, would remain closed for the timebeing.

A spokesperson said: “We’re pleased to have the vast majority of our pubs open and trading again.

"However there are still some sites such as The Hideout which remain closed for now while we continue to review the current situation with social distancing.

"We continue to keep our team updated and will let them know first of any developments."