A bar within an area where strict lockdown measures are in place has been criticised for its lack of social distancing after a video appeared to show people mingling.

The footage was captured at BARLIFE, on Northgate in Blackburn on Friday evening and sent to the Lancashire Telegraph on Saturday afternoon.

In the video, loud music can be heard, groups of people can be seen stood up on the dance floor, with people milling around the bar area queuing for drinks.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The person who took the video, who did not wish to be named, said: "There was over 50 people inside, dancing on the windowsills and the dancefloor.

"The music was loud and there were large queues at the bar.

"All the seating was taken up so people were just stood around.

"When I arrived I waited at the door and the bouncer just waved us in.

"Outside was quite busy too with a make-shift seating area and people stood around, perhaps 30 plus people outside.

"It was something you would have expected from a pre-Covid time, not while we're supposed to be in lockdown."

Blackburn town centre is within one of the wards that is currently still under semi-lockdown, which means residents are not allowed to mix with members of other households inside, outside or in gardens.

However, a spokesperson for BARLIFE said they have done nothing wrong and the video is misleading as it shows only a snippet of the evening, and is a misrepresentation of how the establishment actually operates.

The spokesperson said they run on a clicker system whereby door staff take a tally of how many people enter and exit the venue, and have a total capacity of 70 people including space in the beer garden and out the front of the bar.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The spokesperson said: "We have done nothing wrong.

"Each person entering the venue has to sign in using a QR code on their phone, we provide hand sanitiser and the door staff use a clicker system to monitor numbers.

"We cannot physically do anything more than we already are doing.

"We have seats on one side of the venue, which were occupied, and then a group of people were standing at a shelf on the opposite side of the room, which is bound to make the venue look busier than it was.

"If six people from one household come in and have a dance we are not breaking the law.

"Sharing videos like this is making small businesses turn against each other at a time when we should be supporting each other.

"We are being victimised during this pandemic and many small bars and pubs are trying their hardest to get their venues up and running again and regenerate Blackburn town centre, and things like this don't help."

Blackburn Central ward councillor Councillor Mahfooz Hussain, said: "As a council we will deal with anyone caught breaking any laws and guidelines seriously.

"The messages are there to businesses to follow the guidelines and if they are not we will speak to them.

"We expect all business owners to take responsibility and adhere to the rules, and if not they will be dealt with by the public protection team.

"Any videos sent to the council will be looked at very seriously."