A POPULAR restaurant in the Tyne Valley has remained closed since lockdown, with its owners citing concerns over Covid-19 safety.

The Zyka Indian restaurant, on Priestpopple in Hexham, has been offering a takeaway only service for months.

Chef Khaled Miah, who runs the business alongside his brothers Rashid and Mashuk, said they had missed out on the government’s Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme during August, in the interests of health and safety.

Despite having a restaurant over two floors, Khaled said the layout of the dining area made it difficult to follow government regulations.

He explained: “The main part of our restaurant is downstairs. Space is at a premium and it’s quite narrow. We didn’t feel comfortable reopening because we didn’t feel it would be safe for customers and staff, so we made the difficult decision to offer takeaway meals only.

“We could have considerably reduced the capacity downstairs, but that wouldn’t have been viable, and we didn’t want to open the upstairs floor because some of our loyal customers are older and don’t like to use the stairs.”

Khaled’s brother Rashid also raised concerns about the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, claiming he had himself found dining out elsewhere uncomfortable.

“Naturally, people have wanted to support businesses and make the most of discounted prices,” said Rashid. “Unfortunately, I believe some restaurants have been overcrowded with social distancing becoming very difficult.

“We didn’t want to have that situation at Zyka, and we are grateful for the understanding of our customers, and for those who have supported our takeaway service.”

The brothers have vowed to relaunch the restaurant, after carrying out work to increase space and make the restaurant more open plan.