Early morning queues formed outside pubs and hairdressers in the North East as businesses across the region reopened.
Parts of the hospitality sector in England, including restaurants and cinemas opened their doors this morning as the Government eased lockdown restrictions more than three months after they were introduced.
Much of Newcastle remained quiet on Saturday morning but there were some queues outside pubs and hairdressers, including outside of The Black Garter in Clayton Street.
Barbers like Patrick Forster welcomed back their first customers since the lockdown began, wearing PPE including a full face visor.
The reopening came a day after Boris Johnson urged the public to enjoy the weekend but to be responsible.
He said: “They are our local restaurants, hairdressers, libraries, museums, cinemas and yes, pubs – they are our hotels, B&Bs, indeed much of our tourism industry.
“All these businesses and their workers have put in an heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening to work out a way to trade that keeps their customers safe.
“But the success of these businesses and the livelihoods of those who rely on them and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependant on every single one of us acting responsibly.”
The Government announced that pubs could reopen from 6am on Saturday and said the time was chosen to prevent venues from holding reopening parties at midnight.
Some landlords – including the pub chain BrewDog – had planned to reopen their venues in England to select customers as the clock ticked past midnight.
