Derbyshire gastropub hit with torrent of abuse after closing due to Covid

The Tickled Trout in Barlow announced it would temporarily close on Sunday, June 27, after the staff members were contacted by NHS Track and Trace.

Posting on Facebook, the team said the tough decision had been made as they felt they would “not be able to provide our usual level of high service to you with a reduced team”.

But after announcing the closure, they received an array of negative messages online with one troll telling the pub to ‘go broke’.

The team said: “We cannot believe the amount of abuse and nastiness we have had online and by email because we had to close on Sunday.

“It's not our fault.

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“We have followed the government protocol due to many staff receiving a notification via the NHS app to self isolate, meaning we had not enough staff to operate. We closed immediately losing many, many covers this week, along with the whole of the prepped meat and veg for Sunday.

"We contacted every booking by phone or email to let you know of our predicament

“We have followed the government guidelines very, very strictly ever since they were published, and by public acclaim.

“Please see all the positive reviews online regarding how we have been covid compliant with exceptional standards.

“We are sorry we cannot host your wife's birthday or small event, but we have lost thousands of pounds yet again because we are conducting our due diligence.

“Please take a moment to think how we feel before abusing us.... We want to be at work and looking after our customers and friends.”

Many customers have since praised The Tickled Trout over its quick response to an unfortunate situation.

One said: “I’m sure you would have faced a lot more abuse not to mention hefty fines and damaged reputation if you had ignored the guidelines and remained open putting your remaining staff and customers at risk.

"If more businesses reacted in a diligent manner maybe we could all get back to normal a lot quicker. Well done for putting safety and wellbeing before profits.”

The Tickled Trout is due to reopen on Tuesday, July 6.

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