We are slowly moving to the next easing of CV lockdown.

On the 17th May, indoor hospitality will be allowed, along with cinemas, hotels and museums. Households will be able to meet for the first time since Christmas.

We are moving, at a snail’s pace, to normality.

The good news is that we are going in the right direction.

We only have to watch the daily news from India to see what happens when a country that was doing so well gets something wrong and ends up in a very serious crisis.

Our progress here in the UK is down to all of us doing our bit and sticking with the programme.

The result has been that we are making strong progress and beating the virus.

But we need to be vigilant.

We have, of course, been able to meet outdoors and pubs and restaurants have been doing restricted trade within defined parameters.

But in loosening up, a strange problem has been thrown up in Bewdley.

Visitors to the town enjoy the waterfront and the chance to have a beer and a plate of chips on the tables along the river Severn to the north of the bridge.

Severn Side North is a great place to enjoy outdoor eating and drinking.

Or so we thought.

It turns out that although this has been seen as normal for years, it has been illegal.

Because it is a public road, albeit incredibly rarely used, putting out tables is illegal.

Licenses to serve meals and drinks by the river railings have been refused and now traders, reliant on that outside trade to be able to make any sort of living, have hit a brick wall.

I’ve been in this job for 11 years and I never fail to be amazed by bureaucracy.

To be fair to those in the highways department, if someone is hurt by a passing car, it is down to them to take the blame.

I am trying to get this resolved.

It is clearly the case that the road along Severn Side North is rarely used, and when it is it is mainly for deliveries.

So we are looking to see if there is a solution that sees restricted access to the road for vehicles, leaving it closed for the pubs and cafes to use more of the space for their open air offerings.

After all, as I watch the May torrential rain pour down outside, I look forward to having a sunny drink outside.