A small town pub has denied there was a lock-in after police visited the premises and gave them a warning.

The Sun Inn, in Clun, said it was a "bad decision" to allow customers to drink beer on the premises while they waited for their takeaway food.

In a statement, pub landlords Barrie and Heather apologised for what happened over the weekend, saying it was a "stupid mistake".

West Mercia Police said its Bishop's Castle officers "had to close down a lock-in at a pub in Clun" on Saturday evening (April 4). They added: "We will use the full extent of the law to ensure people abide by the rules during this pandemic."

A 'lock-in' is when a pub owner allows people to continue drinking in the pub after the legal closing time.

Heather and Barrie said: "We'd like to start by saying we are not trying to condone what we did as being right.

"We were incredibly busy on takeaways. Barrie was exhausted and we thought we were all done, and had turned everything off in the kitchen. Then we had three more orders come through.

"Said customers turned up before their food was ready, so rather than keep them in the beer garden, we allowed them to wait inside the pub until their food was ready. The customers had also ordered takeaway beer, and while they were waiting, we allowed them to pour some into a glass. Yes, it was wrong, but we did all maintain the social distancing rule.

"The police visited and warned us for having people inside the pub, and allowing them to drink their beer on the premises. Again, it was not a lock in, this was three people waiting for their takeaway food. Yes, we made a bad decision, and for that, we throw our hands up. We aren't trying to get away with anything.

"The police said to us that this absolutely wasn't allowed, no matter the time, no matter the circumstances. They gave us a warning. We have not been fined, closed down, or stripped of our licence. We have been warned, and you can be certain, we will not be making the same mistake again.

"We asked the officers if we could carry on with the takeaway service and they said yes.

"The upshot is, we made a stupid mistake, and we are genuinely sorry."

On March 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all pubs to close to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Pubs are allowed to offer takeaway services however the government says people must not consume food or drinks on site while waiting for takeaway food.