Number of visits to pubs and restaurants fell in recent weeks, ONS data shows

The number of people leaving home to socialise or eat and drink out has fallen in recent weeks as tighter coronavirus restrictions came into force, figures show.

Nearly half (43%) of adults polled by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) said they were meeting friends and family outside their household less often.

A quarter of adults said they had visited a restaurant, cafe, bar or pub in the period between 30 September and 4 October.

This was down from 30% who said they had visited hospitality venues 9-13 September, while almost 40% had done so in the period from the end of August to early September.

The figures, which come amid an increase in local lockdown restrictions, are being released in a new weekly bulletin from the ONS designed to help understand the impact of coronavirus on British society.

Of those who had had left home to go to hospitality venues in the most recent survey, 7% said they always or often ordered at the counter, down from 12% previous week.

Some 27% of the 1,573 respondents said they had not socialised with anyone outside their household in the past seven days, compared to 25% in the weeks prior.

Since the survey was conducted tighter restrictions on hospitality have come into force in parts of the country, with pubs and restaurants in Scotland's central belt now shut down completely for two weeks.

Further measures expected to impact businesses in the north of England are to be announced later today (12 October).

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