A social media storm erupted tonight after a Fenland pub announced its New Year’s Eve party plans.

The Dog in a Doublet at Whittlesey boosted on Facebook that ‘now we know we can’ it would throw its doors open for a New Year’s Eve shindig.

“Great food, amazing cocktails and beer offers,” it trumpeted.

“Only thing missing is you - no need to book just turn up.”

The riverside pub – between Whittlesey and Thorney – told its customers: “No tickets, no door charge, no booking”.

However, the cheery post on a Whittlesey Facebook group attracted an early comment from a woman who posted: “Rather irresponsible at the moment”.

But the group was flooded with those who disagreed.

Group admin Colin Martin – himself an event organizer- was furious.

“Idiots like those could ruin people’s businesses,” he told the Cambs Times.

One poster commented: “ Just another business trying to survive.”

Another wrote: “How dare a business try and survive and make a living.”

One other poster asked of the woman who posted the comment: “What should we do - sit in doors for rest of your life?”

And another post added: “So is everyone just supposed to stop living and enjoying life just in case they test positive.

“It makes me laugh; the government are okay to have parties but keep frightening everyone to death,” he wrote.

And another pointed out that “there’s loads of events and concerts going on everywhere.

“It was only four weeks ago I went to see Fatboy Slim with 5,000 people in an arena.

“If you’re not happy to come out stay at home.”

One other post added: “Covid isn’t going away, might as well just carry on now.

“We are all most likely to get it at some point just like a cold.

“You can’t avoid them forever and businesses need an income so let it be.”

Another thought the woman who started the thread on Facebook “wishes she had gone shopping now lol”.