Midnight opening for hairdressers and pubs

LOCKDOWN RULES

BEAUTY THERAPISTS wasted little time ushering in the easing of lockdown restrictions across England as long-awaited hair and beauty treatments began when the clock struck 12.

Losing lengthy lockdown locks and reinvigorating beauty treatments were the priority for some as relaxed rules meant salons and hairdressers were able to treat customers for the first time since January 6.

Early-morning queues formed outside clothing stores, with thousands of non-essential retail premises now eligible to resume trading.

Punters desperate for a freshly-poured pint can now quench their thirst in beer gardens, and diners can eat al fresco on restaurant terraces as outdoor hospitality venues reopen.

Indoor gyms, swimming pools, libraries and zoos are also welcoming back visitors, as England takes another tentative step back to normality.

In Elland, near Halifax, hairdresser Emma Burtoft was quick off the blocks as she opened her Eden Hair Spa on the stroke of midnight.

“I’m really excited and couldn’t wait to swing open those doors as we leave what I hope is the last lockdown,” she said.

A trip to the pub was top of the agenda for customers of the UK’s biggest pub on Monday morning. Cheers greeted the first pints of the day at Wetherspoon’s Royal Victoria Pavilion, in Ramsgate, Kent. Pippa Ingram, 51, and Sue Bell, 55, were among a handful of people who braved the chill to taste their first “proper” pint in months. In Coventry, one pub faces investigation by the city council after a long queue of people formed for its midnight reopening. Footage shared on social media showed more than 100 waiting people waiting outside the Oak Inn, pictured, near the city’s university, after it advertised plans to open its large outdoor space. Owner Darren Lee said he believed the venue had worked within the rules.