THE WEAKENED hospitality sector is being made a "scapegoat", according to a Scottish business owner facing the closure of 11 venues across the country. 

Manager of Buzzworks Holdings Kenny Blair says this could be the "last straw" for businesses.

It comes after Nicola Sturgeon announced a new raft of measures that "target" pubs and restaurants - which are being forced to close for 16 days in the central belt from Friday.

Out of his 12 venues across Scotland, Mr Blair said only one - Lido in Troon - will be financially viable if operating on the basis of takeaway only.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: Licensed cafes can stay open during Central Belt lockdown

Mr Blair, who employs around 500 people, estimates he will lose £1 million in revenue over the 16 days and he has concerns for the future if the restrictions are extended.

He said: “We have the impact on staff who are fearful about what the future is for them, and it substantially weakens businesses like ours from a financial point of view.

“Many businesses in hospitality across Scotland are already substantially weakened and this may be the final straw for them.

“We are hoping that we get to reopen 16 days after we close, but if that’s not the case we will have to make some serious decisions about our workforce.”

Last night G1 Group boss Stefan King wrote to staff to ask whether there was "appetite" for unpaid leaves of absence - in order to avoid redundancies.

READ MORE: Hospitality group G1 offers staff leave of absence 'opportunity' to avoid redundancies

And for Mr Blair, the mitigating measures put in place in restaurants and pubs have made them safe spaces for socialising.

He believes forcing them to shut will only lead to people congregating in other, less safe, settings.

Mr Blair said more than 300,000 people have visited his venues since they reopened in the summer and only two customers have tested positive for the virus, with no onward transmission or outbreaks within the business.

“I think we’ve been made a scapegoat in this and unless we see evidence otherwise it would be difficult to change our opinion,” he said.

Mr Blair, whose venues include Vic’s and The Vine, both in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, said: “We believe that because of the measures we’ve taken and the investment, the training, we provide a safe environment to socialise in and we’ve not seen any evidence that proves that’s not the case.

“We think we’re a vital part of the solution to provide safe socialising spaces and if safe socialising spaces don’t exist, we feel that people will find a way to socialise."

He added: “That may very well be in unregulated spaces such as indoors in houses where there are none of the measures that we have in our business in terms of masks, test and protect, spacing, cleaning, sanitising, that doesn’t exist in all these other settings.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has promised a £40 million package of support for the hospitality sector but warned that without the new restrictions, there is a risk the virus will be out of control by the end of this month.