The tapas bar and restaurant, Bar 44, has announced that it will be closing its Cowbridge branch permanently with immediate effect due to the pandemic.

The "devastated" owners have said that they hope to return to the town one day, but that it would not be the "right business decision to sign a new lease without any end in sight to the relaxation of the social distancing COVID related rules in Wales, and the return to normal trading.

"Cowbridge was our first Bar 44 and this is a hugely emotional decision for us. We cannot thank our customers enough for their loyalty and support over the last 20 years.

"We hope very much that it is only goodbye for now and that we will be back in Cowbridge at at some point very soon."

The restaurant was founded by brothers Tom and Owen Morgan back in 2002, after they fell in love with Spanish food.

Since its Cowbridge origins, the business has expanded to Penarth, Cardiff and Bristol and now into an online shop.

Its director Natalie Owen explained to Nub News in December why the Cowbridge branch has been unable to open since the pandemic began.

The original restaurant had only traded on 78 days in 2020, while their other branches (including the one in Penarth) were able to serve food and drinks on 150 days.

"We used to pack the place. Anyone who went on a Saturday would see how busy we were," said Natalie.

"We don't have many tables at Bar 44, and with the stairs, the two-metre social distancing rule, and drinking at the bar not being allowed we would probably be allowed maximum 16 people in there at any one time.

"It's not a viable business proposition, we'd be losing money. We know from operating bigger sites how the takings are down to about 45-50%.

"The stairs would need traffic lights system, and we couldn't have a one-way system either," she continued.

"Our customers range from children right through to adults aged 85-90, so we have to do the right thing for our customer base too."

There is no indication that other Bar 44 branches, including the one in Penarth, will be forced to shut down.