For 155 years, the distinctive aroma of freshly-brewed coffee has filled the air on Bank Street in Carlisle.

John Watt & Son is a bona fide Cumbrian institution but, like so many local businesses, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a unique and unprecedented set of new challenges.

Director Peter Johnston remains positive and grateful but admits that he is concerned for the future of the high street due to the fallout from the pandemic.

“I think if we had not been prepared to look at different ways of doing things and taken chances 18 months ago, this lockdown would have been catastrophic for us," he said.

"I’m really concerned what the high street is going to look like in the new year.

“We’ve diversified by now also running home deliveries deliveries, which we run ourselves within a radius of Carlisle as it’s our priority that our customers get their products. I would say our service has gone back to how it was in the 1950s, for example, when we were running our service right to people’s doors.”

For Mr Johnston, more clarity from the Government is now required as to what support is going to be on offer going forward so businesses can plan for the new year.

“I think there needs to be more clarity in what support is going to be there for hospitality and retail as we go into the new year as at the moment tier two for us is maybe the hardest tier to be in," he added.

“In reality we have all the costs of running a service in our cafe and keeping people safe and, understandably, you have people feeling a bit wary about whether to go out.

“What the Government did earlier this year with the furlough scheme and rate relief was fantastic but what is going to happen over the next six months? In the new year, if there is chance of a new lockdown, businesses will be left wondering what is going to happen as January is always a tough month anyway.

“I’d like to ask what is the picture?Are we going to be paying increased rates to pay for the support we’ve had? This is only fair but clearly this will have a knock-on effect. We need to know when this will be. The future is quite uncertain. We’ve been here for 155 years and hope to be here for longer but we need clarity.”

In the meantime, Mr Johnston has extended his gratitude for the continued support of the business in the community.

“We are incredibly humbled by the amount of support from the public," he said. "We’re incredibly grateful for it.”