A SPA says it slipped through the cracks after loopholes in the Tier system meant it could stay open – but not have customers in the building.

Oak Rooms Spa, in Halstead, says it was “forgotten” by the Government.

Bosses spoke out after the district joined most of the rest of Essex in Tier 3.

It has since gone into Tier 4.

Owner Angela Andrea, 49, said: “Yes, a spa can be open in Tier 3, but our spa is all about private hire.

“We had groups of six people but very few of those times were they from the same household.

“I had a vets who had 30 employees but they couldn’t come for their Christmas event so we had to postpone it.

“We’re different as it’s groups of six people but there’s a ban on meeting indoors. We now can’t trade but we won’t get any help because we’re allowed to open.

“The reason things have been so difficult for us is because we only opened in January and we closed in March.

“Because it was new and I was a new director, I wasn’t being paid a wage so I couldn’t be furloughed.

“I’ve had to use all my savings just to pay my bills.

Angela had to use the business rates grant earlier this year to keep her staff paid up and has even thought of getting licensed to host weddings as a means of survival.

Angela is now part of an online group called Forgotten Ltd, which is a community of businesses affected by these loopholes which she claims has pushed some business owners into debt, homelessness and even suicide. She said: “It’s heartbreaking. There will be a lot of people in January who will be in dire straits.

“There’s so many businesses that I’ve spoken to who say they don’t know the way forward.

“Entrepreneurs are saying they’re out of ideas, and I’ve never heard that from them before.”

Angela now hopes to invite Halstead businesses to network over Zoom to build stronger bonds during the pandemic.

For more about Forgotten Ltd, visit forgottenltd.com or facebook.com/ForgottenLtd.