Diners in Thurrock bought more than 200,000 discounted meals through the Government’s month-long Eat Out to Help Out scheme, figures reveal.

For three days a week in August last year, people could buy a half price meal at outlets that signed up to the scheme and save up to £10 per person.

The initiative, which saw people flock to pubs, restaurants and cafes across the UK, was largely hailed a success by the hospitality sector but has since been criticised over claims it may have encouraged further spread of the coronavirus.

New data from HM Revenue and Customs shows around 205,000 cut price meals were claimed at 78 participating businesses in Thurrock.

It meant diners saved £4.62 per meal on average.

Businesses in the area claimed back £947,000 from the Government through the scheme at an average of £12,100 per outlet.

They were among 4,973 cafes, restaurants and pubs to take part across the East of England, and 59,981 across the UK.

However, the HMRC data only covers businesses with fewer than 25 outlets meaning the true figures may be much higher, with many big-name restaurant chains also taking part in the scheme over the summer.

More than 100 million discounted meals were eaten across the UK under the programme to boost the economy by encouraging consumers to dine out after months of being told to stay indoors.

A Treasury spokesman credited Eat Out to Help Out with protecting jobs across the UK and bringing back 400,000 hospitality workers from furlough.

But research from the University of Warwick suggested the scheme may have contributed to between 8% and 17% of newly detected Covid-19 clusters – a claim denied by the Treasury.

At the time, Dr Thiemo Fetzer, who led the research, said: “‘Eat Out to Help Out’ may in the end have been a false economy, one that subsidised the spread of the pandemic into autumn and contributed to the start of the second wave.”

While the Government has not announced when restaurants will open again following the third national lockdown, some experts have warned they should stay shut until May to avoid another “bump” in transmission.