A BOURNEMOUTH town centre pub has been forced to close temporarily after staff tested positive for Covid-19.

O'Neill's has taken the "precautionary measure" to shut for a "short time" following the cases and a number of other employees needing to self isolate.

The Old Christchurch Road venue has been closed since Saturday, June 26.

A spokesperson for O'Neill's said: "It has been great to be serving guests again, and since reopening we have been following the stringent Covid-secure protocols we successfully introduced at the pub last year.

“Unfortunately, following the return of positive Covid-19 tests within the team and with other members being instructed to self-isolate by NHS Test & Trace, we are closing the pub for a short time as a precautionary measure.

"The safety of our guests and our team, who are taking part in the twice weekly Covid-19 lateral flow testing programme, is our highest priority and we are working closely with our safety experts to ensure this.

"We are notifying all guests who booked with us we are closed and will notify guests of further updates going forward.

"We’re sorry for any disappointment this may cause, but we’d like to thank our guests and our team for their support shown and we look forward to welcoming you back soon."

The temporary closure of O'Neill's comes as popular fish and chip shop Chez Fred took a similar decision after a number of positive cases among its staff.