A West Cumbrian businessman is desperate to secure financial support and save the jobs of his 35 staff.

John Miller runs Hunday Manor, in Workington, and Fredericks, a bar and restaurant in Cockermouth.

When lockdown kicked in Fredericks closed for three and a half months. It has since reopened.

Hunday Manor has stayed open throughout, supporting critical workers when needed, said Mr Miller.

But the business’s income has been hugely reduced and, unless they can tap into some funding, jobs are in jeopardy, said Mr Miller.

“On the 31st of this month I will have to make people redundant unless I can secure funding from the council or Government,” he said.

Mr Miller received a business grant of £25,000 in April.

“I was really grateful for this money from the European Covid fund which was secured by the Government,” he said.

“I could not receive it for Hunday Manor because of its rateable value. I left it and left it and when they put out discretionary funds I applied to Allerdale.”

His claim was unsuccessful.

An Allerdale Council spokesman said: “We have helped hundreds of local businesses in recent months who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, through different Government grant schemes including the discretionary grant scheme.

“For the discretionary grant scheme we were able to have some input into the criteria to match local needs, but there were a number of mandatory criteria set by Government.

“We considered this application based on the information provided, and it was deemed not to be eligible under the criteria for the discretionary scheme. Our deputy leader and senior officers have met with the applicant about this.”

Mr Miller has since written to a host of people, including Workington MP Mark Jenkinson and the chancellor’s office, in the hope of securing some funds.

“I’m caught between a rock and a hard place," he said. "The hotel is only 20 per cent occupied at the moment and I cannot sustain this long term."