A couple who bought two soft drinks at a bar were left shocked when the bill came to £8.20 due to a ‘ coronavirus fee’.
Ron and Margaret Wiltshire decided to head to a bar while out shopping to enjoy two small bottles of Diet Coke.
But the retired pair were charged more than £4 for each drink and told the charge was to cover restrictions brought in to stop the spread of the killer virus.
They were told the charge either covered the booking of a table or went towards PPE and hand gel.
The furious couple have vowed never to return to the pub following the pricey stop-off.
They visited the Fat Cat in Nottingham before heading home to Yorkshire where they further queried the bill, reports Nottinghamshire Live .
Ron said: "We sat outside. The lady at the bar said it was £1 per person for track and trace which seemed strange but agreed as we needed a drink.
"The barman came out to us with the drinks and a card machine. When we paid he mumbled something about the charge you’ve been told about.
"My wife said 'wow £8.20 for 2 Diet Cokes' - they were bottles not the large ones but smallish glass bottles.
"On getting home I phoned to check and was told that the charge was for hand sanitiser and PPE.
"Now I know some companies are finding things a struggle but this is the only time I’ve been charged this, even small independent retailers don’t charge. We will not be going back there again."
A spokesman for Fat Cat said: "The £1 charge is a booking fee. It's not for PPE and hand sanitiser. Everyone is made fully aware of the booking charge before they sit down.
"Lot of bars are charging in town and we are too. Are we doing anything wrong? Are we breaking the law?"
The spokesperson did not explain why Mr Wiltshire was charged a booking fee even though he was a walk-in customer.
