Pubs in Newport owned by Greene King will not be affected by the company's announcement that it will be cutting up to 800 jobs across the UK.

The chain announced on Wednesday that 79 of its pubs across the UK would be staying closed, with one third to be shut permanently following a difficult few months for the industry due to the coronavirus crisis.

The chain, which owns around 2,700 pubs in the UK, said it "urgently needed the government to step in and provide tailored support" to the pub sector to prevent further closures following the implementation of a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants.

However, a spokesperson confirmed to NewportOnline that the announcement would only affect pubs still closed after lockdown, and that the three pubs in Newport owned by the chain would not be affected.

Greene King owns The Tredegar Arms in Bassaleg, Man of Gwent on Chepstow Road and Parc-y-Prior Inn on Almond Drive.

Man of Gwent in Newport

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “The continued tightening of the trading restrictions for pubs, which may last another six months, along with the changes to government support was always going to make it a challenge to reopen some of our pubs.

"Therefore, we have made the difficult decision not to reopen 79 sites, including the 11 Loch Fyne restaurants we announced last week. Around one-third will be closed permanently and we hope to be able to reopen the others in the future. We are working hard with our teams to try and find them a role in another of our pubs wherever possible.

"We urgently need the government to step in and provide tailored support to help the sector get through to the spring and prevent further pub closures and job losses."