Bass managers may not enjoy festive season

Bass Taverns is locked in a dispute with some of its pub managers over whether or not their outlets should stay open this Christmas night.

Several managers in the West Midlands area have approached their local MPs for support, claiming that they are being forced to keep their doors open.

"Bass has been ordering managers to open on Christmas night and some Bass managers in my constituency have approached us about it," said Robin Corbett, MP for Birmingham Erdington.

Bass denied taking a strong-arm approach but said it was "well aware of these views". It said more than a thousand of its 2,500 managed pubs opened last Christmas night and that customer feedback indicated there was demand for more outlets opening.