THE landlord of a popular village pub near Dumbarton was close to tears on the day he reopened for business under the eased lockdown rules.

David Davidson said the first four months of 2021 had been much worse for the Cardross Inn than the initial lockdown in the spring of last year.

“It is quite emotional,” he told the Reporter.

“We’re unsure what everyone’s expectations are going to be, but we’re definitely really excited and really happy to be back trading again.

“The last few months have been tough for the business. The first lockdown was difficult but this one has been a lot harder, there has been a lot more uncertainty, it’s been difficult to plan both financially and operationally because we really didn’t have an awful lot of information.

“It’s been quite frustrating. The evidence wasn’t really there to support hospitality being closed for as long as it has been. However, on the other hand public health comes first and we totally respect that.”

For David, the closure of the Inn has provided opportunities to grow the business, and he’s now excited about its future.

He said: “It’s a great community in Cardross and we’re looking forward to seeing our regulars back.

“This is what I do, this is what I love.

“We’re here to serve a community and not being able to do that has been really tough.”