After initially insisting that it had no choice but to impose social distancing measures in Radstock - causing widespread anger among traders - the council has reined back on that insistence.

Traders, such as those at Thomsons Hardware on Fortescue Road hope it is another U turn thanks to Boris Johnson's announcement about distancing.

Today (June 23) when the Prime Minister announced that the two metre rule was being relaxed, they hoped this would lead to a re-think about barriers along the roads in Radstock.

In direct communications with people in Radstock, B&NES officials had originally insisted that putting in barriers and thereby closing parking areas, was the only option to keep shoppers two metres apart.

In a letter seen by Nub News it specifically mentioned sections of Fortescue Road where it was, they said, not possible to keep a distance of two metres.

Shops along the road were furious at that decision, which they claim could easily have been solved simply by putting in a one way system along the pavements on either side of the road.

B&NES insisted that the presence of the barriers would greatly increase the width of the footway and their priority was always the safety of people walking along the pavements, particularly where they had to step into the road to pass a queue.

Today - as the relaxation of the two metre rule was announced, Nub News was in Radstock and there were no signs of any barriers being put in place along the roads. We have approached B&NES for a comment, but meanwhile the Radstock trading fraternity are hopeful that what they described as " A kick in the teeth " for an already beleaguered shopping area, would not be imposed.

You can read about what the traders thought of the original idea here:

Radstock Nub News

Unofficially the shops told us that they no longer expect any barriers to be built - a hugely unpopular decision already made in Larkhall near to Bath.