Dartford businesses are gearing up preparations for the impending second national lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new measures on Saturday in a delayed address to the nation in which it was revealed all but "essential" shops must close by tomorrow.

It means everything bar courts, schools and other educational facilities will shut their doors for atleast a month.

Hospitality venues such as restaurants, bars and pubs must close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery services.

The move was met with disappointment by Esquires Coffee franchise owner Gurjit Randhawa, who operates a branch of the chain in Dartford High Street.

He had recently opened another premises two miles away in Crayford on the strength of Eat Out to Help Out and footfall return post-lockdown but will now be forced to shut both stores – with Dartford operating a takeaway only service.

Gurjit said: "It is bad news all round to be fair. No one wanted a lockdown. What I'm doing is the Dartford store will be takeaway.

"Crayford we will have to close for the simple fact it is not really a high street it is more a retail park. Without the park being open there is just no footfall."

The coffee shop boss was frustrated to have to close at short notice but said public health must come first.

"We would hope the lockdown reduces the R rate and installs some confidence in people to come back out again," he said.

"Two to three weeks before Christmas people come back out for their shopping, that is what we would hope.

In the meantime he added: "If people are out shopping for essentials and they want to grab a coffee on route we will provide that service."

However, Gurjit adds Christmas trade has not been the same for a number of years, even before Covid-19, due to the rise in online shopping.

Instead, he says October and November are the stronger months and so to lose one is very damaging.

"The concern for everyone is if the lockdown does not prove to be successful, if after 30 days we are still in the position we are in now," he added.

His fears for the seasonal trade were shared by Neil Brown, pub landlord of the Malt Shovel in Darenth Road on Dartford's East Hill.

Publicans had been warned the restrictions could mean beer left in pub cellars will have to be "tipped down the drain" , but the government has since u-turned its restrictions on the sale of takeaway alcohol.

"I'm not sure what the impact is going to be in terms of click and collect and what we are able to offer," said Neil.

"Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Our mindset is to really make sure December is the best for our customers."

He added they would be providing a takeaway meal service while closed and are in the midst of drafting up a new festive menu in the hope of catching the Christmas trade when restrictions are lifted.

This is impossible to predict, Neil says but they hope with Dartford experiencing lower infection rates than other parts of the country they would "hit the ground running" in tiers two or three.

Meanwhile Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite alluded to a spike in cases across north Kent over the last fortnight.

He said: "The truth is that we saw a significant growth in cases across north Kent in the last fortnight and had already begun planning for a local response to bring them down but it looks as though the national situation has resulted in more widespread measures.

"It’s not what any of us wanted to hear but the figures speak for themselves and we have to face the need for tough decisions."

The Tory leader went on to add these decisions "are never easy" but were necessary to keep people safe and to ensure the NHS had capacity.

He says the council had been busy preparing its localised response and would be available to provide support to any vulnerable families throughout the period.

"We will, as before, be focusing on those with the highest clinical vulnerability but our services are here for everyone and local people shouldn’t hesitate to call us," he said.

"I will be inviting all group leaders to work with us again to ensure we all pull together to serve our town."

Cllr Kite said businesses who had "just got back on their feet" would not be forgotten as part of this response.

"I’m pleased to see that the Government recognise this and we are already hearing of significant new measures to support them," he said.

"Dartford council recognised during the spring lockdown that the key is to get help to businesses with the minimum of bureaucracy and the maximum amount of speed.

"That’s what we did last time and we are ready to do it again."

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