Iconic Sheffield venue Leadmill faces 'catastrophic' impact from new restrictions

"We were already on a cliff edge and the government may as well just push us off now."

Assistant General Manager of Sheffield's The Leadmill Rebecca Walker is not mincing her words.

The iconic music venue, which has helped huge bands like Pulp and Arctic Monkeys make their names, says the new 10pm curfew on bars will be 'catastrophic' for its survival.

It only reopened days ago after half a year of closure, ready for the first week of students returning. Usually during the weekend of Freshers' Week it would see 2000 of them through the doors.

Now, they may get just 140.

"We are a resilient industry but we do feel like we are being targeted unfairly with no evidence to back up these restrictions, just to save face for a government that has no grasp on the current Covid situation", Rebecca says.

"It does feel like every step we take forward, central government kicks us back ten times further. It's very difficult to feel positive and hopeful."

The Leadmill has campaigned to save struggling venues throughout lockdown, alongside famous names like Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner who raffled off one of his guitars to raise funds.

But Rebecca says the venue feels let down by government:

"We have brilliantly large names in the industry that are fighting our corner, that are using their voice, but it does feel like sometimes we're just not being heard."

Sheffield is currently on the government's watchlist for coronavirus cases, and some fear the curfew for bars and pubs may lead to group drinking on private properties, especially during Freshers' Week.

Rebecca thinks the new restrictions will have the opposite effect than intended:

"If anything I feel this will exacerbate the Covid cases that we have now.

"He has basically just given every single student in this city a free pass to have house parties, whilst also closing down a sector very key to what makes Sheffield Sheffield."

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the government will do its 'level best' to support businesses hit by new coronavirus rules.