Old Firm derby: Celtic and Rangers fans urged to ‘think twice’ before visiting Cumbrian pubs

Several pubs in Cumbria have been contacted by Celtic and Rangers fans looking to visit during Saturday’s Old Firm derby – but venues have been warned ahead of the match that the rule of six will be strictly enforced by local police.

Licensed premises in the central belt of Scotland – covering the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley health board areas – are closed due to tighter coronavirus restrictions.

Superintendent Matt Kennerley said: “We understand restrictions on licensed premises in Scotland might offer the temptation to travel south of the border to visit our pubs and bars – but anybody breaching rules here does face a fine.

“We would like licensees to be aware of this and to think carefully about their responsibilities and the rules in place to protect everyone.

“For people in the central belt of Scotland, it is also important to remember the Scottish Government is asking those people to think carefully about whether they need to travel outside their local health board area.

“Our officers will be out in town centres and busy areas to enforce breaches of the regulations.”

Mr Kennerley urged people to think twice before travelling.

He said: “Due to our geography and the popularity of the Lake District, we get visitors from many areas every day.

Celtic and Rangers meet on Saturday at Parkhead, but there will no fans in attendance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“For instance, people from Cumbria and Scotland cross the border every day to go to work, shop and socialise within the permitted rules.

“But with different restrictions in place in different areas of the UK and the virus now spreading fast, we would urge anybody who does travel in any way to think carefully about their actions.”

He added: “Firstly consider if you do need to make that journey, as the more we restrict our contact the less likely the virus is to spread.

“If you do travel you must familiarise yourself with the rules in that area.

“In Cumbria, you must comply with the rule of six, wear face coverings on public transport and contact tracing is in place in licensed premises.

“We are also strongly advising people to limit indoor and outdoor contact with others to people from no more than two households at a time.

“Social distancing applies at all times.”

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