Official guidelines published over the weekend indicated a ban on serving alcohol takeaways for restaurants and pubs but the government changed the ruling following mounting pressure from the industry.

English pubs will now be able to sell takeaway beer during this month’s lockdown, as long as its pre-ordered by phone or online. Drinks can be collected as long as customers do not go in the pub.

Some pubs have successfully trialled takeaways during the first lockdown and one landlord has bought 1,000 milk cartons to use as containers for beer.

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Leo Johnson runs Dodo Pub Company which looks after The Rusty Bicycle in Magdalen Road, Oxford, The Rickety Press in Jericho and The Up In Arms in Marston.

The Rusty Bicycle

He said: “We have worked hard since July to adapt to constant changes which is incredibly costly and we were beginning to surface from that and come out okay and going back into lockdown is wiping the slate clean.

“We will continue to work with Deliveroo so that people can order our entire menu including burgers and pizzas and we have a click and collect app so that people can pre-order and be given a collection time for takeaway.

“I’ve bought 1,000 four-pint milk cartons for takeaway beer - they are airtight, work for the purpose and travel well.

“But all of these are peripheral offerings and as exciting as it is to overcome the adversity of being closed none of this compares to being open.”

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Edward Whinney, who runs The White Rabbit pub in Friars Entry, said it would remain open for takeaways.

Edward Whinney right

He added: “We will be open every day from 5pm-10pm offering our takeaway pizzas and two-pint bottles of draught and cask beers along with a selection of cans from the best independent brewers in Oxfordshire and the rest of the UK.

“We have set up a system to order through our website and will be using our regular staff as our delivery drivers or on our electric delivery bike in order to keep them working (albeit fewer hours) throughout the coming weeks. This is is a project we have been meaning to do for some time now and we will use this lockdown to see if we can build something positive from it.”

Tim Bowring with wife Kim

Paul Silcock, who runs The Gardener's Arms in Plantation Road, said the pub would remain open for takeaway food for collection and would continue to deliver via Deliveroo. But Tim Bowring, who has run The Plough in Wolvercote for 25 years, said his Greene King pub would shut completely until December 2. He added: “November can be a quiet month but we will be hit financially.”

Paul Silcock

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Dave Richardson, a spokesman for the Oxford branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), said some landlords feared lockdown would stretch beyond December 2 and warned this would lead to pub closures.