TWO long serving publicans have blasted a lack of lockdown support for bars and say they should be allowed to reopen.

Bosses at the Spinnaker Hotel in Gourock and Station Bar in Wemyss Bay say the coronavirus closures are doing huge damage.

The Scottish Government closed licensed hospitality businesses across the central belt last Friday, citing a rise in Covid-19 infection rates, and they won't reopen until October 25 at the earliest.

The manager of the Spinnaker, Stewart McCartney, says the government has failed to provide enough evidence to support the shutdown.

Stewart said: “The Inverclyde community from my personal experience have listened and adhered to government guidelines remarkably well when meeting in licensed premises.

“Closing the hospitality industry will create more problems than it solves and I have seen no significant evidence that links the Covid-19 increase to the hospitality industry.

“Without financial support from local or national government many more businesses are about to reach the point where they can no longer remain solvent."

Mr McCartney believes this situation could be averted by a prompt u-turn from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her government.

He said: “If the powers that be can be honest and admit they made a bad call, many affected businesses should be allowed to reopen with the necessary restrictions in place."

Fellow licensee Harry Monaghan, who owns the Station Bar in Wemyss Bay, says the enforced closures should not have been announced before a comprehensive relief package was in place.

He told the Tele: “Businesses once again have to wait to see what support they will be given - this should have been outlined before any announcement on closures.

“The hospitality trade is being unfairly targeted without accurate, definitive evidence to prove that pubs and restaurants are major contributors to the current rise in cases.

“The economic impact is not being fully understood by the Scottish Government, nor the effect on employment."

West Scotland Tory MSP Jamie Greene says he supports the unhappy owners and has criticised the Scottish Government for their treatment of local businesses.

Mr Greene said: “I have spoken to many local hospitality businesses to find out how they are coping with the last minute restrictions introduced by the SNP government last week.

“It is clear that the restrictions and the lack of financial support have been damaging, confusing and are a kick in the teeth for local businesses.

“Many busted their guts to make their premises ‘Covid-safe’, doing what was asked of them, only to now find themselves facing further uncertainty and disruption.

“Quite frankly, pubs, bars and cafes across Inverclyde deserve better.”