Businesses, particularly independents on the High Street, are dreading another lockdown.

Karl Lloyd set up Love Local in Marlborough in the first lockdown. More than 80 local traders joined the effort to encourage those that did venture to the shops in the past ten months to shop with them.

"It almost feels like we’re back to square one. Sure we have a vaccine now, and that's certainly a light at the end of the tunnel, but here we are ten months later and we’re back in a lockdown almost as severe as we were in March," said Karl who's burger restaurant The Kitchen Sisters opened at The Bear just 15 months ago.

"So where’s the progress? Business, especially in the hospitality sector, has paid a heavy price, and for what? Now, I do understand, as do most people, why this is necessary, but people’s tolerance is starting to wear thin."

Rishi Sunak has announced that UK businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to be given one-off grants worth up to £9,000, with the relief package costing £4bn. The payments are expected to support 600,000 business properties across the UK.

A further £594m will be made available to councils and devolved nations to support businesses not covered by the new grants. The chancellor said: 'The new strain of the virus presents us all with a huge challenge – and, whilst the vaccine is being rolled out, we have needed to tighten restrictions further'

"Nobody’s happy, except Jeff Bezos," added Karl.

"A lot of people think we should have gone harder and sooner rather than this dribbling out of half-measures, which doesn't seem to have worked.

"So we’re three lockdowns in and who knows what this is going to do with businesses, big and small. And as for the business relief available, well they don’t seem to have learnt much from last time with many again falling through the cracks. This is going to be a really tough way for many to enter the new year."