A pub landlord had no customers for an entire day as he blamed the lack of business due to the government overdoing the "scaremongering" of the danger of the heatwave.
Nigel Barker, who runs The Wellington on Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, said despite his pub being air-conditioned, it was completely empty after the government urged people to stay indoors due to the possibility of the loss of life because of the extreme heatwave.
Mr Barker said people were getting frightened to death with the constant warnings of the heatwave and spoke of the effects its had on his business on top of other issues he's faced.
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He said: "Scaremongerers are trying to frighten people to death – they're making it sound like if you dare to go outside you are going to die.
"Well it was baking hot yesterday and I had no customers in what is a very cool, air conditioned pub, so thanks very much. The rail strikes the other week cost me ten grand, now this on top of Covid and everything else.
"The way the government is – and with everybody else is pandering to tiny minorities about what you can or can't do – it's almost as if they'd rather every single pub in the country close down for issues from how hot it is to who can use which toilet."
Mr Barker said it would be nice if pubs in the Birmingham area would be able to welcome plenty of customers due to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games which begins next Thursday (July 28) but remains unsure if it's possible.
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"We can assure them of a very 'cool' welcome in our downstairs bar and a warmer welcome on our beautiful upstairs terrace outside at the back," the landlord said.
"So we have the perfect choice – sitting out in the fresh air or being in the air-conditioned bar which we've had now for the best part of a decade."
Barker blasted the country in regards to response to the scorching heat and told of his own experience during the 1976 heatwave.
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"I'm old enough to remember the summer of 1976 and there was none of this malarkey. People just enjoyed it.
"People would rather pay a fortune and go through all the palaver of going through their airport disruption instead of coming to sit on our roof terrace for nothing and enjoying some good, cool English beer."
A weekly Wellington regular called Ian echoed Barker's thoughts as he told BirminghamLive: "It's lovely and cool here in the summer and in winter, when the fire is on, lovely and warm. And you've got the terrace upstairs as well if you want it."
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