Gareth Morgan, who runs an independent pub Dead Crafty Beer Co in Liverpool city centre, has said closing pubs will be "devastating" and going to "really hurt if not ruin" the industry.

Image source, Gareth Morgan

Making pubs shut will put more jobs and independent businesses at risk, he said, as "so many little bars won't survive without more support".

The 41-year-old said bar staff also needed full compensation.

"Paying workers 67% sounds good but in reality, for staff to pay bills, it is nowhere near enough."

Mr Morgan said trade in his pub, which employs five staff, was 58% down on last year's figures, due in part to halving capacity in the pub and having to close at 22:00.

He added the "final nail in the coffin" for pubs had been limiting people to only their social bubbles.

The Labour MP for Wallasey has said financial support for those impacted by Covid-19 announced so far by the Chancellor has been "woefully inadequate".

The English council areas which border Liverpool City Region - Lancashire, Warrington, Greater Manchester and Cheshire West and Chester - have all been put under the second "high alert" tier of the government's new guidelines system.

That means alongside the current national measures, including the rule of six and the 22:00 curfew, measures in "high alert" areas are also subject to local restrictions, preventing mixing between different households indoors.

BBC News UK

The Liverpool City Region will be on a "very high" Covid alert level from Wednesday, Boris Johnson has announced.

Confirming a new three-tier lockdown system, the PM said pubs, bars and betting shops will close on Merseyside.

Most areas of England will be on "medium" alert, with rules such as the rule of six, but areas with local restrictions on household mixing are automatically on "high" alert.

The PM said all retail outlets, schools and universities will remain open.

The Liverpool City Region has been put under Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions - the current highest level of local lockdown.

The new restrictions, which come into force on Wednesday, mean pubs, bars, gyms,leisure centres, casinos and betting shops will be closed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "not to act would be unforgivable" and he hoped "rapid progress can be made".

Liverpool City Region includes Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens in Merseyside and Halton in Cheshire.

Liverpool City Region will be put under Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions from Wednesday, the prime minister has announced.

The restrictions - the highest measures in a new "three-tier" system - will mean social mixing is prohibited indoors and in private gardens, pubs, gyms, leisure centres, casinos, betting shops and bars will be closed unless they can operate as a restaurant and people will also be advised against travel in and out of the areas.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has started his statement to the House of Commons.

He is setting out details of the new three-level system for England, which would label regions as being on medium, high or very high alert.

Each level would have different lockdown rules.

Three NHS Nightingale hospitals in northern England are being asked to get ready to take patients amid warnings from scientists that increased hospital admissions could soon mean wards fill up.

Here's more from NHS medical director Prof Stephen Powis, who announced in a Downing Street press conference earlier that the hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate are "being mobilised" over the next few weeks.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

St Helens Council leader David Baines is “gravely concerned” by the impact of tougher lockdown restrictions on jobs and the local economy.

Image source, LDRS

The Labour councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that in every meeting, Liverpool City Region leaders had "stressed the need for financial support for businesses told by government to close and for all affected workers".

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

Here's some more detail now on what rules there might be for parts of the UK expecting to be put into the third - and most serious - tier of coronavirus restrictions later on today.

Merseyside MPs on a phone call with Health Secretary Matt Hancock have been told bars, pubs, gyms and betting shops will have to close, while restaurants will stay open for now.

BBC North West Tonight

Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram and the leaders of the area's six councils have said in a joint statement that they are "committed to dialogue with the government to achieve a mutually agreeable solution" to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the area, but have not yet "reached an agreement on the wider economic support package that will be required as we go into Tier 3 restrictions".

Image source, Getty Images

The statement issued on Sunday, external said:

The statement also said that the region needs "clear definition of the Exit Strategy from Tier 3" and a "clearer funding settlement" for the local councils, which "cannot continue to exist hand-to-mouth and are currently unable to plan for the medium or long-term".

Liverpool City Region is not alone in recording high rates of Covid-19 among its population.

In nearby Manchester, 477.7 cases were recorded per 100,000 people in the week leading up to 8 October, while in West Lancashire, which borders three of Liverpool City Region's authority areas, 398.1 cases were recorded per 100,000 in the same week - a higher rate than that of St Helens, Halton and Wirral in the same period.

Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said the area was waiting to find out if they would be able to stay in tier two of the new restrictions.

The Labour councillor told the Today programme that Greater Manchester had put forward a proposal to keep them in tier two that would involve more local track and trace measures and powers to close premises which do not comply with the rules.

"We will see if we get approval for that plan," he added.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

We know the broad outline of what the government is going to announce today.

Ministers have been working on a tier system for local restrictions in England for weeks - and today they'll confirm how it will work and the basic principles.

The Liverpool City Region is set to be the first put into the "very high" top tier - which will mean significant restrictions on hospitality within days.

But there are still details of a support package being worked out.

The region's mayor Steve Rotheram is adamant there needs to be more support for workers and businesses that will be told to close.

He doesn't think the chancellor's current plans go far enough - and I'm told conversations on economic support are likely to continue into this afternoon.

There have been questions about definitions - when is a pub a pub, which could be told to close, rather than restaurant which might not?

It's worth highlighting that if other areas are added to the highest tier in the next few weeks, restrictions may look different.

Sources say there is room for flexibility based on local factors.

BBC News UK

New local lockdown rules for England are due to be announced later and Liverpool City Region is expected to face the tightest restrictions under a new "three-tier" system, which will classify regions as being on "medium", "high" or "very high" alert.

Image source, PA Media

Steve Rotheram, the city region's mayor, said negotiations have taken place through the night but "no deal" has been agreed yet.

Talks between local leaders in England and Westminster continue.

The average for England was 74.

The Liverpool City Region includes the local authority districts of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, as well as Liverpool.

Knowsley had the highest rate of cases in the area in the week ending on 8 October - 669.5 per 100,000 people - while Wirral had the lowest - 286.1 per 100,000.

Thanks for joining our live page covering the reaction in Liverpool City Region to the news that the government is expected to announce tough new coronavirus restrictions in the area.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to announce a new "three-tier" system for England and it is thought Merseyside will face the strictest measures.

If you want to share your thoughts on the announcement and what it will mean to the region, please get in touch on Facebook, external or Twitter, external or send an email to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk