'Super Saturday': Drinkers fizz with pleasure as pubs reopen across England

Since 8am publicans across England have been throwing open their doors for the first time since March
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Daniel O'Mahony4 July 2020

Drinkers today celebrated their first trip to the pub since the nation went into lockdown, with one declaring: “It’s like winning the Premier League.”

Since 8am publicans across England have been throwing open their doors to welcome customers for the first time in more than three months, on what the Government has dubbed “Super Saturday”.

The day began with an early rush at a handful of JD Wetherspoon pubs, with punters seemingly undeterred by the chain’s post lockdown price hikes.

Some drinkers were forced to queue outside before being allowed to enter in order to comply with social distancing guidelines and limits on pub capacity.

But despite rain and blustery conditions buffeting much of the country, for many the chance of a cold pint was worth the wait.

“I’ve missed this more than my missus when she left,” said Bert Lockley, a returning regular at The Shropshire Arms in Chester.

Sipping his first draught Guinness for more than 100 days, he added: “You can drink at home but you can’t get this feeling anywhere else.”

“I was looking forward to getting my hair cut and coming here.

“But I couldn’t get my hair cut, they were queueing down the street, and I came straight here.”

Also drinking Guinness was Andrew Slawinski, 54, a returning regular at the Toll Gate Wetherspoons pub in Turnpike Lane, north London.

“Gorgeous,” he said, adding: “It’s like winning the [Premier] League,” he told the PA news agency.

Andrew Slawinaki, 51, is served a pint of Guinness at the reopening The Toll
PA Wire/PA Images

Other drinkers were even more effusive.

Rebecca Day, a reporter for the Manchester Evening News, tweeted: “I’ve spoken to regulars Chris and Jimmy. Jimmy hasn’t gone to bed after his night shift tarmacking the roads.

“He had a shower and came straight here. He described the taste of his first Carling as being like an ‘angel p***ing on the tip of his tongue’.”

On a visit to The Bell & Crown in Chiswick, Chancellor Rishi Sunak also welcomed the reopening of businesses.

He said: “The hospitality sector is a vital part of our economy and crucial to people’s livelihoods – Britain’s pubs and bars alone employ almost half a million people – which is why it’s such good news that so many people are able to return to work this weekend, helping us all to enjoy summer safely.”

However, statistics from the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) have revealed 31 per cent of bars, pubs and restaurants will stay closed on Saturday.

Film fans were also celebrating today as many of England’s cinemas reopened.

At the Showcase cinema in the Bluewater shopping centre in Dartford, Kent, staff were all wearing masks and being subject to mandatory temperature checks on arrival at work.

Perspex screens have been put up around tills and stations where food is served, and one-way systems around the venue guide customer’s movement in an effort to stop them coming into close contact with each other.

A dearth of new film releases means the cinema is showing old films including Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone and Back To The Future.

A steady stream of people were coming into the venue on Saturday and very few were wearing masks

Andrea Necchi, a 31-year-old project manager for protection at a construction company, said it was a “strange” experience, adding that his children had their temperature taken on the way in.

“It’s all a bit eerie, but apart from that it is good to be back,” he said.

Michelle Major, 57, who is a dog carer, said she is glad that normality is slowly returning as it has been difficult to explain the lockdown restrictions to her son, who is disabled and autistic.

“It has been hard for him to understand what is happening,” she said, adding that he was “super excited” to be going to the cinema.

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