Monday is the day Britain has been waiting for, when pubs and restaurants open for outdoor service. And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, forecasters last night said the weather is expected to stay dry and bright – although anyone venturing for an outside drink should probably take a coat.
Temperatures are likely to hover between 41F and 50F (5C to 10C) across much of the country. But the weathermen believe it will stay largely dry, with sunny spells despite a damp and dreary weekend.
Met Office spokesman Nicola Maxey said Monday will be ‘a cold day with bright weather for most’, adding: ‘It’s certainly looking fine, dry and cold in the South.’
Southern areas and London could see slightly warmer temperatures of up to 12C (53F), she said, but added: ‘The further north you go, the colder it is and there’s a risk of showery rain for Cumbria.’
Monday will also see high streets bursting back into life as non-essential shops reopen at last, and barbers and hairdressers will also welcome customers again.
But it is the opportunity for a spot of al fresco dining or drinking that many are looking forward to.
A pub prepares to open its garden after months of coronavirus lockdown in London, Britain, on Friday afternoon
Staff from McMullen Brewery unloads a delivery at The White Horse pub in Hertford ahead of its reopening, as the coronavirus restrictions are starting to ease
The morning sunrise over the River Thames in the Kent estuary town of Gravesend. Image shows Royal Terrace Pier, headquarters of the PLA
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Several councils across the country, including Westminster and Newcastle, have shut off roads and allocated pavement space to help restaurants and cafes accommodate demand with extra seating.
Beer gardens are expected to be at full capacity, with major pub chains including Fuller’s and Mitchells & Butlers saying they have seen ‘significant interest’ in regulars returning.
Pubgoers have been advised to run up tabs so they can avoid multiple trips indoors to pay for food and drink.
Official advice to businesses says the tab system will ‘ensure that customers do not need to make multiple indoor payments during their time at the venue’.
The Department for Business said reports and rumours on social media there would be a ban on taking payment indoors, potentially forcing people to pay with cash outside, were incorrect.
A spokesman said: ‘If payment is not possible outdoors, payment can be taken indoors as a last resort. This is to ensure we limit the use of indoor space and protect people by stopping the spread of the disease.’
Indoor dining and drinking will remain forbidden until May 17. Monday also marks a return for indoor leisure, including gyms and swimming pools, for the first time in more than three months.
And those who want to get away from it all altogether will be allowed to travel domestically with their households on a ‘staycation’.
Last week holiday home rental company Cottages.com said that two-thirds of its properties in coastal locations or with hot tubs have been booked for the week beginning April 12.
Theme parks also reopen on Monday. The number of guests allowed at weddings will increase to 15, and funerals will be allowed to take place with up to 30 people.
Care home residents will be allowed two visitors, driving tests will resume and non-essential journeys between England and Wales will also be allowed again.
After Monday the weather is suppose to improve, with Britons basking in yet another mini-heatwave. Forecasters are predicting temperatures set to jump up to 60F (16) by next Thursday and 62F (17C) by Saturday.
The good news comes after a final winter blast this week plunge temperatures below freezing in some places and even brought a scattering of snow, which can still be seen in some parts of Scotland.
But Britons on social media appeared more downbeat about the weekend ahead than the lockdown restrictions easing on Monday.
One man wrote: ‘Last weekend of lockdown… allegedly. Debenhams closing down sale starts on Monday… I predict a riot.’
Another was more blunt: ‘The last weekend of lockdown.’ A woman posted: ‘It’s Friday yay, and lockdown is easing in a few days. Last weekend of doing nothing!’
One account said online: ‘Last weekend of lockdown weather looks awful so we literally will be stuck indoors again.’
One woman called Lucy put: ‘Very much looking forward to the easing of lockdown but think it’s important to ease ourselves back in too!’
Pub landlord is ordered not to use his £50,000 chalet with pizza oven, TV and fitted bar that he built for outdoor dining because it breaks Covid rules
A pub landlord has been ordered not to use his £50,000 chalet with a bar, pizza oven and TV to house outdoor diners because it breaks Covid rules.Â
Jason Kalen, who runs The Marlborough in Wiltshire, claimed the structure was safe because it had a one-inch gap in the ceiling for ventilation.Â
However, council officials pointed out that it broke established rules requiring at least 50% of the walls to be open to the outside.Â
Jason Kalen, who runs The Marlborough in Wiltshire, was furious at receiving an email a week before the venue’s reopening on Monday to say that using the new chalet would be against the law.
Therefore, he has been told he cannot use the structure until punters are allowed to host people inside again on May 17.
Despite the structure clearly contravening official guidance, Mr Kalen believes he should have been warned earlier.Â
He said: ‘To receive this email just five days before was heartbreaking. It’s not just going to affect me, nearly almost pub has a marquee in the garden now.Â
‘Drinking pubs are over, if you don’t serve food your business doesn’t work. But nobody is going to want to sit outside in this weather.’
Mr Kalen, who began building the structure during the first lockdown last year, said he had been ‘working with the council’ to ensure the building met specifications.  Â
He said: ‘We made sure that every table is two metres apart, that there is an air flow throughout the entire building thanks to the breathable roof, and we fitted a much bigger entrance.Â
‘I ordered all my beer yesterday but now some of that probably can’t be used. I’m currently losing £5,000 a month as it is.’Â
With millions of Brits planning a trip to the pub from April 12, data shows three quarters of adults have struggled to book a seat at their favourite local.
Research by TV channel Dave found a fifth (21 per cent) of adults actually made a pub booking while Boris Johnson was announcing his lockdown exit roadmap on live TV.
And in a desperate dash to secure spaces, people admitted making eight bookings on average per person at four different pubs, with a third (32 per cent) of people admitting that they would travel over an hour just for a pint.
The most pint-parched city was Coventry, with 37 per cent of people admitting they had made a booking during the lockdown announcement.
But it was residents of Belfast who are most likely to be seen down the pub on the very first day it opens, as 26 per cent said they will be down their local at the earliest point possible.
Unfortunately for people in Northern Ireland, Stormont is yet to announce its plans for when pubs will be able to reopen.
From next week, amended Government rules will allow pubs and restaurants to reopen to serve customers in beer gardens or other outdoor serving areas – following months of complete shutdown for the sector.
The British Beer and Pub Association said while 75 per cent of UK pubs have a beer garden or outside space, they estimated only around 15,000 pubs, or 40 per cent, will reopen as they will have an area large enough.
There is a legal loophole whereby even pubs without gardens can fling open their doors to customers next week, with some converting their car parks into outdoor seating areas.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: ‘We welcome the great news that our pubs can reopen once more for outdoor service from April 12th.
‘That first pint back in the beer garden is going to be a special moment. People across the country have been looking forward to it for months.
‘We expect 40 per cent of pubs, some 15,000 in England, to reopen from April 12th. Those that do open have invested a lot in ensuring customers are both comfortable and safe, making the most of the pub beer garden.
‘But we should remember that those opening will be loss making with the ability to trade beyond break even coming with the removal of all restrictions.
‘With so many pubs still not opening though, it’s crucial the Government sticks to its roadmap and allows pubs to reopen indoors from May 17th and without any restrictions at all from June 21st.
‘That is the only way our pubs can trade viably and begin to fully recover.’
Meanwhile restaurant, bar and cafe operator Loungers announced plans to open just under a third of its sites for outdoor service next week, and a new deal with lenders to tide it over into next year.
The company behind Cosy Club and Lounge said that its £15 million loan facility with Santander and Bank of Ireland had been extended by another year and expanded to £25 million.
The banks have also changed the conditions to which the company had previously been forced to adhere, giving it headroom to start opening new locations again.Â
Traffic on the A9 a few miles south of Inverness where there was a fresh dusting of snow on Friday morning
A woman walks her dog in the village of Tomatin in Scotland where they had a fresh dusting of snow on Friday morning
Traffic on the A9 a few miles south of Inverness where there was a fresh dusting of snow on Friday morning
The Inverness to Glasgow train in Scotland is pictured in the snow today a few miles south of Inverness
Traffic on the A9 a few miles south of Inverness is pictured where there was a fresh dusting of snow this morning
Traffic on the A9 a few miles south of Inverness where there was a fresh dusting of snow on Friday morning
Four new sites, in Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, Welwyn Garden City and St Ives, are set to open before the end of May, when all Loungers’ 172 sites should be back up and running.
Like many in the hospitality sector, the company has been forced to close its restaurants, bars and cafes during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Next Monday Loungers will open 47 sites in England for takeaway and outdoor service, while five in Wales will open when restrictions there ease on April 26.
It then plans to reopen the rest of its English sites by May 17, and those in Wales later in the month, based on what the Welsh Government decides.
‘Having been closed since December 30, it is really exciting to be back in some of the sites, preparing to open our terraces to customers on Monday,’ said chief executive Nick Collins.
‘Whilst it is frustrating that we have to wait until May 17 to reopen more fully, given the steps we have taken to ensure our business is Covid-safe, it does allow us to reopen gradually, bring our teams back from furlough and get the supply chain back up and running.’
The business will target domestic tourists when travel is again allowed in the UK, with plans to open new sites in Blackpool, Scarborough and Aberystwyth before the summer holidays.
‘Our suburban and market town locations, combined with our flexible, all-day model, mean we are well-positioned as we look to the future,’ Mr Collins said.
‘The most recent lockdown has given us a real opportunity to build a fantastic pipeline of new sites in what is undoubtedly a tenant-friendly environment.
‘We will approach the coming months cautiously but are very keen to get back to opening 25 sites a year at the earliest opportunity with such excellent properties being presented to us, and we are grateful to Santander and Bank of Ireland for their continued support.’
Research by TV channel Dave found that the most pint-parched city was Coventry, with 37 per cent of people admitting they had made a booking during the lockdown announcement. Pictured: Comedian Jon Richardson sitting a Dave branded Flat Pack Pub created for those unable to get a booking at their local
Jason Kalen, who runs The Marlborough in Wiltshire, has spent £50,000 on a chalet for outside dining only to be told a week before opening it contravenes Covid-19 rules.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: ‘We welcome the great news that our pubs can reopen once more for outdoor service from April 12th’
‘We expect 40% of pubs, some 15,000 in England, to reopen from April 12th. Those that do open have invested a lot in ensuring customers are both comfortable and safe, making the most of the pub beer garden,’ she added
Landlords fear that patchy rural broadband and mobile signal means that card machines will be difficult to use in pub gardens
JANET STREET-PORTER: Do enjoy your first trip back to the pub (if you can bear the cold and book a table) – just don’t stand up, talk too loudly, sing, dance or generally expect to have any fun at all
Who fancies a trip to the pub?
Monday, April 12 is the long-awaited day when we can finally chill out at our local and enjoy a drink with family and friends.
But don’t get too excited. A simple pleasure has become (in the hands of Boris and Co) an exercise in unnecessary red tape, with confusing guidelines and bumbling bureaucracy – in short, everything this government is very good at.Â
Come Monday, popping out for a pint or a sneaky G and T will require all the advance planning of an army exercise.
Here’s some helpful tips. Take a cushion – you must remain seated outside at all times, except when nature calls.Â
Forget impromptu celebrations, and don’t turn up without booking a table in advance – that’s if you can get through on the phone. A booking at the Dog and Duck or the Shifty Poacher has become as elusive as a table at the Ivy or Annabel’s.
If you’re lucky enough to secure a reservation and the usage of a wooden bench and matching table (cutlery and napkins available on demand), you must ensure everyone in your group of six has signed up to the useless official Test and Trace App and has their phone fully charged up and in their pockets to be inspected on arrival.
A woman uses the NHS track and trace app at a pub in Manchester last SeptemberÂ
The NHS contact tracing app, pictured in use outside the Coach and Horses pub in Soho, is required on arrival
Boris Johnson, pictured on a visit to Cornwall this week, is only allowing pubs to open outdoors, while drinkers are limited to groups of six
Getting into a hot nightclub was never this difficult. Back in the day, all I had to do was wear a short skirt and simper. Now, I need to hand over my ID via an app which will have me under surveillance in the name of saving the NHS. North Korea suddenly sounds quite appealing.
On arrival, each drinker will be checked in separately and (unlike a visit to the cinema of a sporting event) your host can refuse you entry if you are not willing to comply with rules.Â
That applies to everyone in your group – including granny and ageing auntie Vi, who better be tech-savvy – otherwise you will fall at the first hurdle and be condemned to another takeaway from the local curry house.Â
Other hospitality venues like cinemas only have to ‘strongly encourage’ customers to sign up to test and trace, but pubs are in a special category.
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Still gagging for the pint? Don’t rush to the bar, you’ve got to catch the waiter’s attention as drinks must be ordered at your table, using an app if possible. Payment must be made outside – so if the electronic machines don’t work or the wifi is playing up, you better take plenty of cash.Â
Yes, cash – that old fashioned commodity we got out of the habit of using since Boris told us to minimise contact of all kinds. Cash – which can be dirty and carry germs. Maybe you better pack hand sanitiser and rubber gloves just to be on the safe side.Â
As for making this a joyful convivial occasion, have you looked at the weather forecast? Yes, 40 per cent chance of rain, temperatures in single digits and a nice chilly wind blowing in from the Baltic are all on offer.Â
The best you can hope for is that your pub has installed the only kind of tent permitted under the draconian regulations – one with open sides – so still nice and draughty.
As for looking chic, forget the suggestions emanating from eager fashion editors, including floaty ‘picnic dresses’ and saucy crop tops. I suggest you wear a fleece, take an umbrella and carry a rucksack containing a gloves, a blanket and a nice woolly hat. Not exactly the garb designed to flatter or entice a new date into a second meeting.
Why are pubs being treated like hotbeds of contagion? The Covid infection rate has dropped by 60 per cent since mid February (in spite of schools reopening) and seasonal deaths have fallen below the five year average for the third week in a row.Â
Three quarters of the population will achieve herd immunity by the end of next week. So why are the goalposts always moving further away?
The Boffins have decided that pubs are the most dangerous places we can possibly visit – just as they waffled on about schools and superspreading kids (and were proved wrong) the other month.Â
Publicans are ordered to implement the rules with no exceptions, and to call the police if they ‘feel unsafe’.Â
And there’s the threat of Michael Gove’s vaccine passports to come with more paperwork, more apps and another chance for the government to discriminate against anyone who doesn’t agree with handing over their details on demand.
A staff member wipes down tables at the The Fox on the Hill pub in Camberwell, London, ahead of Monday’s opening
As for providing music to try and create a convivial atmosphere, there’s more regulations for publicans to wade through. Only a limited number of live performers can perform, they must remain two metres apart, singers must not be too loud in case it encourages patrons to raise their voices (chance would be a fine thing), they can only perform for a limited amount of time.Â
As for that old idea of ‘having a knees up and a sing-a-long’ to celebrate the end of lockdown – forget it. In this new, dreary colourless Boris world, customers must not sing, dance, or indulge in group chanting and talk quietly.
Music ‘can not be the main purpose’ of a visit to a pub. On the plus side, food no longer needs to be served with drinks and there’s no longer a curfew. Doesn’t that sound appealing, the chance of two hours sitting in semi darkness eating crisps and swigging warm white wine, whilst whispering through a face mask and swatting off the midges.
Of course these rules are ridiculous, formulated in Whitehall by civil servants and advisors who have never visited a normal pub and who probably drink in themed cocktail bars in Shoreditch anyway. According to Tim Martin, boss of Wetherspoons, the UK’s biggest pub chain, the government have ‘lost the plot with control freakery’ – and he’s right.
Independent, owner-operated pubs – like hedgehogs, could soon be extinct at the current rate. Five thousand of these small family run businesses in England and Wales have closed since March 2020, almost 2,000 in the last two months alone.Â
Two thirds of British pubs can’t open on April 12th because they have no outdoor space. On May 17, when indoor service returns, people will still have to be seated and socially distance. Pubs can’t survive at half capacity and by only serving cheap beer.Â
These rules favour the big chains like Wetherspoons and so a special part of British culture will be stamped out by the health and safety brigade.
In the meantime, are we that starved of human contact that we’ll settle for lukewarm food in arctic conditions?Â
The government has two choices – make a trip to the pub a decent experience, one that accepts the limitations of our weather – or admit that most pubs (in their present format) are like the British High Street and have had their day.
