The Ben Lomond pub in Jarrow has been boarded up - owners Greene King explain why

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The owners of one of Jarrow’s best known pubs have moved to reassure people in the town after it was boarded up.

It comes as the windows and doors of the Ben Lomond pub in the centre of the town were boarded up earlier this week.

This prompted concerns that the pub, which sits on the corner of Grange Road West and Ellison Street, might not open again.

Operators Greene King announced in October that it would be cutting up to 800 jobs and closing 79 pubs and restaurants.

The Ben Lomond in Jarrow has been temporarily boarded up as a security measure during its during lockdown closure.

The Suffolk-based company blamed the move on the Government’s regulations related to Covid-19 which at the time included a 10pm curfew and the end of the furlough scheme.

Greene King is one of the UK’s biggest pub operators with 1,700 managed pubs and around 38,000 employees.

A further 1,000 of its pubs are tenancies, but they are not part of the programme of closures and redundancies.

The hospitality industry as a whole has been severely affected by Covid-19, with the latest blow being the announcement of a second lockdown, which is due to end on December 2.

But the good news in Jarrow is that the Ben Lomond has been boarded up solely for security reasons and is expected to reopen when the current lockdown ends.

In May a man was jailed after being convicted of a burglary at the bar. He had stolen £200 worth of spirits.

Bosses say no stock or money is being kept in the pub at the present time.

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “We have taken the decision to board up a number of our pubs including the Ben Lomond for the duration of their closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Although no stock or cash is left on site, it is still of vital importance that we do all we can to protect this much-loved pub so we can reopen it for the people of Jarrow to enjoy when we are able to.”

Other Greene King pubs in South Tyneside include the Prince of Wales in Jarrow, the Longship in Hebburn, the Story Book in Boldon, plus the Fountain and the Bamburgh which are both in South Shields.

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