PUBS and restaurants will be forced to close early if the government introduces a 10pm curfew in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Rumours of a national curfew have swirled since one was imposed in Bolton, where cases have rocketed in recent weeks.

All hospitality venues were told to shut with immediate effect to people eating and drinking on site – including pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes.

They can stay open as takeaways but only until 10pm. Between 10pm and 5am, all hospitality venues must close.

It has been reported ministers will consider extending the policy to other towns if there are flare-ups.

Here’s what our readers told us on Facebook...

Rachael Cordy: “I can understand pubs etc having to be shut by 10pm and I hope that is all a curfew would mean. They cannot insist no one is out without good reason after 10pm. That is ridiculous and it is sad so many are happy to sleepwalk into this new era of our rights gradually being eroded.”

Aimee Louise Gleed: “Closing pubs early won’t help, the rule of six won’t help. A week into the schools going back and already I have a cold. If you can’t contain the common cold how the hell do you expect to stop the spread of Covid.”

Geetha Cheedella: “This would definitely be a good move. Drunkards increase stress on NHS and police with their habits. At least this will help save taxpayers' money.”

Sharon O’Connell: “We are not on tag. This is a ridiculous curfew. Either shut pubs or open them, shutting them early will just make everyone go out early. It’s still the same volume of bodies passing through, this is not the answer.”

Nic Andrew Baldwin: “This is the most stupid idea, we’re being asked to go back to normal then they try to stop people from doing anything, one way to bankrupt the country.”

Debbie Sherwood: “Won't this just encourage more people to go to the pub before the 10pm curfew? It defeats the whole point.”

Clare Netter: “Doubt it would make much difference, people will just go out earlier.”

Kate Blackford: “Something has to change to avoid another lockdown.”

David Charter: “Bottom line is that almost 4,000 tested positive today. Before we know it is going to be hitting 5,000 and that’s when we went into lockdown last time. I really want to avoid lockdown and keep my job. That has to be reduced somehow and if it means restrictions then so be it.”

Sharon Pickett: “This won’t make anything better.”

Andrew Coulthard: “What difference is that going to make? Shutting pubs at 10pm, Covid must only come out after 10pm then. The whole thing is a joke.”

Hannah Love: “Like a curfew is going to make any difference at some point we need to learn to live with it.”

Amanda Barter: “How on earth is this going to work? We can’t follow restrictions in the daytime let alone at night.”

Carly Knox: “People will just go out earlier.”

Kay Howe: “That’s great. But what about people who do shift work?”

Caz Horner: “Does Covid only come out at night?”

Yvonne Foster: “I’m going to Sweden, they at least they got the whole Covid-19 thing right without causing so much of a big issue.”