Tequila bar applies to become church to beat tier 3 rules

James Aspell said he was not anticipating a fast response

A tequila bar has applied to be classed as a place of worship to allow it to open while it is in tier three.

James Aspell, owner of 400 Rabbits in Nottingham, said it was a tongue-in-cheek gesture to highlight the "unfair" rules faced by hospitality venues.

From Wednesday, bars in tier three areas can only offer takeaway and delivery.

However places of worship are allowed to welcome people from the same household or bubble.

Mr Aspell is worried the venue might not be able to welcome customers until April

Mr Aspell, who opened the bar five years ago, said he had submitted an application to Nottingham's registrar general to reopen the bar as The Church of 400 Rabbits.

"It's tongue-in-cheek but it's come from a serious place," he said.

"We think the tier restrictions announced last week and how they're targeted at hospitality businesses like mine seems incredibly unfair. It could be months before we're allowed to open again.

"We looked at the list of every business or venue that's allowed to open under the new system and it said pretty much every other type of business apart from bars and restaurants.

"In Nottingham they're even allowing the Christmas market to go ahead, which is right outside our door - so there'll be crowds of people attending and we're not even allowed to open.

"So we've decided to have a bit of fun with it but the main reason is to shine a light on the ridiculousness of the rules themselves."

Mr Aspell said he had included all information required by the form

Mr Aspell said the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 required applicants to have people signed up to the congregation - which he plans to do through a dedicated website.

"We sent in all the information requested in the application form - the layout of the building and the timetable of what we're doing etc," he said.

"Then you need to prove you have a congregation - I think the minimum is 20 households - so that's the next step.

"I'm not anticipating it being a quick decision at all. They [the registrar general] might just throw it straight in the bin but hopefully they'll contact me fairly soon."

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A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "Transmission data shows us that hospitality premises are places where infections are more likely to be spread."