A KIDDERMINSTER restaurant has seen hundreds of cancellations as the spread of the Omicron continues to wreak havoc on the hospitality industry.

Wall 2 Wall, an Indian street food restaurant on Riverside Walk, has seen 350 cancellations since December 11 during what would normally be the busiest time of the year.

It comes as the government has urged people to be cautious in the face of the spread of the variant but has not closed hospitality.

Owner Amarjit Singh said the situation is "heartbreaking" as he saw the bookings collapse as more people stayed at home amid the rise in cases.

He said: "When the government announced the new variant people started cancelling."

The restaurant was set to welcome 155 guests on Christmas Day, but that number has dwindled to 25 people.

The business has also been hit by staff shortages as people left after the first and second lockdowns due to the insecurity in the hospitality industry.

The government this week announced a £1billion fund to help businesses hit by the rise in Covid cases, including the leisure and hospitality sector.

Hospitality businesses will be able to apply for cash grants of up to £6,000 per premises, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced.

Mr Singh welcomed the move but said the situation was still incredibly uncertain.

He added: "We have to pay rent, coronavirus or no coronavirus. We pay every single bill. We had future plans to do more but we can't at the moment.

"We just don't know where we stand."