A POPULAR cocktail bar in Weymouth has said it has had to close due to staff shortages.

The Batida Bar, on St Thomas Street, has shut its doors and said it is currently looking for more staff so it can hopefully reopen in the future.

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A spokesman said in a statement: "As a local business we have loved providing Weymouth with some funky tunes, fresh cocktails and many boogie nights.

"Unfortunately we have massively struggled with staffing and had to make the decision not to open Batida. There is a national shortage of people working in the industry and it has become a huge problem for a lot of companies.

"If you know of anyone looking for a job please send them our way so hopefully we can reopen in the future.

"Our sister bars however KIKAbeach and the George bar and grill are still going strong.

"We would also love to say a HUGE thank you to our core members who have stayed extremely loyal, working crazy hours and are still shaking their cocktails with the best service they can."