BUSINESSES either side of the border in Chirk are preparing to live by contrasting rules again next week.

Further changes to Covid-19 restrictions in both Wales and England mean England will go into a lockdown on Thursday, before Wales comes out of a lockdown next Monday.

The new rules have caused further disruption and uncertainty for both businesses and residents in border towns like Chirk.

Tracey Jones, the new landlord at The Bridge Inn on the English side of the border in Chirk, has described the situation as a nightmare.

She said: “I’m upset about it all, because we rely heavily on our Welsh customers, so the fact they were put into a two-week lockdown meant we had a decrease in trade.

“But we thought ‘hey, it’s only two weeks, it’ll be fine’. And as far as I was aware we were in Tier One here and we had all the necessary restrictions in place at the pub ready to reopen safely.

“And then all of a sudden, we get this announcement to say England will be in a lockdown.

“This would’ve been our busiest time really and we’re just getting the kitchen up and running as well.

“We were hoping to open them on November 16 with the pub menu and Christmas menus both ready to go.”

Tracey feels there would be more clarity for towns in similar locations to Chirk if the restrictions were the same in both countries.

Fellow landlord, Mark Jones of the Stanton Inn in the Welsh side of Chirk, agrees and said it is a frustrating situation.

“I think people may still travel over the border because of the difference in rules – if there was one rule for everyone then I don’t think people would go anywhere,” he explained.

“I can’t see a reason why we shouldn’t all be singing from the same hymn sheet.

“It’s frustrating as businesses having to close while businesses only a mile or so away remain open – I don’t really see how that will stop the spread.

“It’s frustrating because I don’t see a way of getting through this properly unless we all do the same thing properly.”

Chairman of Chirk Town Council, Brian Colley, also believes a “one size fits all” approach would be better-suited.

“It will be an important step forward coming out of lockdown in Wales on November 9, but because we’re a border town, it’s good and bad news after a second lockdown is set to come into place in England.

“It’s still restricting for border towns.

“I would recommend that people support their local businesses here as much as possible while staying safe.

“There’s great community spirit here in Chirk. People are helping each other where possible and that’s very comforting to see.

“The difficulty is it is really frustrating for border towns in that we have many people coming into the area from across the border for business.

“It would’ve been much better if we could’ve had a one size fits all approach across England and Wales.

“But we are where we are, and we have to comply with the guidance on either side.”

Chirk butcher Jamie Ward has also called on residents to safely support businesses in the area.

“Our customers comes from quite a wide area across both sides, and we will remain open for business.

“I think people are confused about what they can and can’t do, and what is and isn’t allowed.

“For businesses like ours – there has never been any question about crossing the border for essential food that you can’t get anywhere else.

“So it has still affected us, but not too badly. I think the problem for people is the uncertainty.

“Local businesses need the support of their communities now more than ever.

“Everybody’s in the same boat and are doing the best for one another, and it has created a community spirit which has seen people wanting to support one another.”