Pubs could be told to shut their doors at 10pm under new rules announced by the prime minister tomorrow, it has been reported.

Boris Johnson will announce a series of new measures on Tuesday, including a new 10pm curfew on the hospitality industry and patrols to ensure pubs and clubs were abiding by the “rule of six”, The Sun newspaper has reported. The PM is expected to set out the new prohibitions in a statement to the House of Commons tomorrow. 

Swindon landlords reacted to the news with disappointment, with one saying: “This could have been quite avoidable if we all played our part.”

News of the new measures came as government scientists raised the coronavirus risk level from three to four, meaning the transmission of the virus is “high or rising exponentially”.

Jamie Stapleton, co-owner of The Tuppenny, Old Town, said: “It cuts into our bottom line. We would lose 10 hours of trade a week. We would lose a day of trade, essentially. That is an hour in which we can do some tidy trade, especially on nights when our nearest neighbours are open until 11pm.”

Mr Stapleton, whose pub reopened with a one way system, table ordering, hand sanitiser on tables and a no-cash policy, added: “This could have been quite avoidable if we all played our part.”

That point was echoed by Gary Watts of The Harrow, Wanborough, who together with his partner has spent thousands on making the pub “Covid secure”.

“We’ve done everything the government has expected of us, but because in places they haven’t, here we are being penalised because of others’ actions. It’s a shame,” he said.

Fears have been growing over rising coronavirus rates in parts of the country.

Earlier today, chief medical officer for England Prof Chris Whitty and the government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Valance warned the country could see 50,000 new covid cases per day by mid-October if action isn’t taken.

In a statement confirming the covid risk level was rising from three to four, the chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said: "If we are to avoid significant excess deaths and exceptional pressure in the NHS and other health services over the autumn and winter everyone has to follow the social distancing guidance, wear face coverings correctly and wash their hands regularly."