Worried Burnley businessman believes latest coronavirus restrictions will 'cripple' various industries

The founder and managing director of Burnley's award-winning Crow Wood Leisure wrote to the town's MP Antony Higginbotham this week to express his frustration at the latest measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson which has banned gatherings of six people or more.

Mr Brown, who has spoken in the past of the need for society to continue as normal as is possible during the coronavirus pandemic, said the most recent announcement had knocked his business off its feet after it had experienced a recovery over the last month.

Mr Brown, whose leisure complex includes a hotel, spa and gym, told the Express that the latest restrictions would once again cripple the hospitality industry.

"I think the latest measures are madness", he said.

"I have sympathy with the Governement because these are unprecedented times but we have to try to continue as a society as normally possible. The genie is out of the bottle now as far as the virus is concerned. It is not going away, and there may never be a vaccine, so we have to learn to live with it.

"That means protecting the elderly and vulnerable, while letting everyone else get on with their lives. There will be so much collateral damage with all the restrictions we have seen, such as the impact on mental health and on the treatment of other conditions."

Mr Brown revealed that Crow Wood was seeing 50 bookings a day after the lockdown restrictions were finally lifted on gyms and leisure centres towards the end of July.

However, he said the latest measures and talk of 'cancelling Christmas' had scared his clients.

In his letter to the MP, Mr Brown wrote: "I appreciate this email will probably be unwelcome and you may feel not at all constructive.

"I have to express my frustration at the Government's handling of this pandemic. I acknowledge in the early days the Government had absolutely no alternative but to carry out the actions it did.

"However, I feel the situation is now radically different. By all statistics, the virus is now infecting the younger age group, who are most likely to simply shake it off.

"These stop/go lockdowns, restrictions and quarantine measures are a total nonsense, confusing and ineffective.

"Both France and Spain had draconian lockdowns which have now proved to have been ineffective, we have all now thoroughly trashed our economy’s and for some sectors there is simply no end in sight.

"I am coming across more and more people who agree with me that we need to now get back to normal, those that are vulnerable need to be protected and everyone else get on with normal life.

"Interestingly I have spoken to numerous medical professionals in the last few weeks, who all privately admit the present strategy represents complete over kill.

"I would suggest that for those who need to shield and are working, they could get a doctor’s certificate and be furloughed on 50% of salary unto more clarity emerges. This % would automatically weed out the skivers and protect those who are or feel unable to return to work.

"The collateral damage of this virus now totally exceeds the damage done by it, the cure is worse than the disease.

"If there is indeed to be a second wave, then let that be now before winter truly sets in and further irreversible damage is done to the economy."