A REFURBISHED pub has been thinking out of the box to deal with social distancing during winter months.

Due to Covid regulations, many pubs in the summer started doing more outside service to allow customers to keep their distance.

As the weather turns colder, that is no longer as attractive to guests.

Now the owner of The Lapstone Pub in Horton Heath, Russ Kitching, has been forced to get creative with his solution.

An application for a change of licensing has now been submitted to Eastleigh Borough Council, to include domes, the pubs answer to social distancing during the cold winter.

The domes have been sourced from a company in Poland and are spread out across the garden of the business.

They are on heated decking to keep customers warm and include, tables, chairs and a bluetooth speaker inside.

Owner, Russ said: “ We have restricted numbers inside and we had to look at creative ways to make it commercially viable.

“If the Lapstone is going to survive it needs to have some usage on the rest of the plot. The domes are for all year round and can be used for workshops, meetings, dining, hen parties.”

The pub was refurbished after being purchased by Russ following its closure in 2017.

The licensingve drinks and food to customers within the domes, as the current license doesn’t cover the garden area.

An objection has however been put forward to the domes by environmental health who raised concerns about public nuisance from noise.

Russ added: “We’re just trying to keep this pub open. Most pubs that put marquees in their gardens have not got planning permission.

“We respect the community, we respect the laws, I hope it will just go through but we will have to do what we’re told.”

The licensing hearing is due to take place tomorrow.