Peak District pub offers apology after being overwhelmed by visitors ignoring social isolation

The Yorkshire Bridge Inn in Bamford, within the Hope Valley, said it was ‘overwhelmed’ by the number of customers as people poured into the beauty spot.

Responding to criticism online, it was quick to hold its hands up and admit it could have done better.

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An open letter shared by the Illingworth family, who run the pub, explains how they take the pandemic very seriously and were among the first pubs to close last Monday, while many others remained open despite government advice for people not to gather inside such venues.

The Illingworths explained that the bar remained closed on Saturday while they tried to operate as a takeaway, serving customers through a conservatory window, but demand was much greater than they had anticipated.

“Despite our efforts throughout the week to play our part and not contribute to the problem we feel that we should have managed things a lot better yesterday. We are truly sorry we didn’t do so and we feel terrible,” the family said in the letter which they shared on Sunday.

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“The significant number of people visiting the area was far greater than what we had anticipated, and we did feel overwhelmed, but we should have ensured that all the food and drinks were taken off the premises.”

They added that if the pub offered takeaways again in future they would ensure meals were delivered to customers’ vehicles and all drinks were served in sealed containers.