WADWORTH brewery has put plans to move out of the town on hold while it tries to cope with the fallout from Coronavirus.

Smaller independent shops and cafes in Devizes say they fear for their futures after the Prime Minister told people to avoid pubs, restaurants and cinemas and to stop for only essentials.

The number of people eating out and buying goods had already been drastically affected by the coronavirus emergency but by Tuesday traders were in despair.

In past weeks clothes shops and restaurants have seen takings down by more than half as shoppers have concentrated on buying food and medicine rather than more impulsive buys and socialising.

Wadworth pub the Cross Keys at Rowde has announced it will close until further notice from Monday.

But the brewery is keeping its managed houses such as The Bear and the Crown Inn in Devizes open.

Wadworth Brewery CEO Chris Welham said this week plans to move brewing to a new site has been put on the backburner by the coronavirus emergency.

He said: “It is not something we are working much on at this current time. Our priority is to do everything we can to minimise the impact of coronavirus on our employees, managers, partners, customers and third parties.

“We are monitoring things very closely and have taken decisions that protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and customers and the long term future of the company.

“These decisions will continue to be reviewed as the situation evolves and Government guidelines develop.”

The brewery is giving its tenants four weeks rent free and will review this again.”

Traders in Devizes spoke on Tuesday of their despair for their businesses as the full force of what Boris Johnson had announced on Monday evening began to sink in.

Among those who fear their businesses will not survive are three women who run Times Square cafe in the Market Place and Caen Hill Cafe.

Kim Feltham-Morley, Alice O’Brien and Emma Soellner are staying open this week on reduced hours but are not sure how long that will continue.

Ms O’Brien said: “If the restrictions stay in place for a month we might just about manage but it it is three months we have no chance. It will destroy everything we have spent the past four years creating.

Louise Collins from the Happy Food Company in Devizes was equally worried. She caters for a number of events such as weddings as well as supplying cafes.

She said: “People have already started cancelling events.”

Ken and Kay Mortimer run two food companies in Coate, near Devizes, and employ 45 staff. Mrs Mortimer from Heritage Fine Foods said: “I am very worried.”