Britons today kicked off ‘the Glorious Twelfth’ in style, with thirsty drinkers already sipping on pints, long queues forming outside shops and punters rushing for a long overdue haircut or trip to the gym.
Chilly temperatures dipping to -3C overnight will give way to bright sunshine across much of the country later, as beer gardens, shops, hairdressers and gyms join libraries, zoos and nail salons in reopening.
Some eager patrons were even seen nursing pints minutes after midnight as they flocked to pubs in Coventry, Newcastle and London the minute restrictions were eased – despite the freezing temperatures.
Others had different priorities and headed straight to the hairdressers to fix their lockdown hair after months of isolation.
There will be plenty of sun around today but revellers will need to wrap up warm, with average midday temperatures ranging from 6C (42.8F) in the Scottish isles to 12C (53.6F) in Cornwall and 10C (50F) in London.
As of Saturday afternoon, 32,010,244 Britons had received the first dose of the vaccination, with a further 6,991,310 having had their second, as the UK recorded 1,730 new Covid cases – down a quarter on last week.
Despite the promising figures, Boris Johnson last night urged Britons to ‘behave responsibility’ as they make the most of the new rules.
The vaccine programme coupled with the ‘palpable sense of excitement’ is expected to make this post-lockdown reopening the strongest yet, with customers are predicted to spend £4.5billion this week.
More than half of hospitality businesses that are opening have splashed out to make outdoor areas bigger, spending an average of £9,040 on each venue, according to industry group UKHospitality.
Pubs have been flooded with bookings, with the British Beer and Pub Association predicting the nation will get through 15million pints this week.
Customers queue this morning outside Primark in Birmingham city centre on ‘the Glorious Twelfth’ – when non-essential retail reopens
Customers toast as they enjoy a drink at the Switch bar in Newcastle shortly after midnight to toast the reopening of pubs
Dozens of people were queuing outside Primark in Liverpool even before opening today, with shoppers keen to grab bargains
Revellers sitting outside the Oak Inn on Gosford Street in Coventry city centre after it opened at one minute past midnight
People attend a strength and conditioning class this morning at Ultimate Fitness Gym in Wallsend, north-east England
Kelly Boad, owner of Hair & Beauty Gallery in Warwick, gives Sue Butcher a haircut as non-essential businesses reopened at midnight
Secret spa hair stylist Nas Ganev cuts the hair of Amy Pallister, 27, just after midnight at her home in Balham
The Prime Minister said at last night’s press conference: ‘Today is a major step forward in our roadmap to freedom as venues such as shops, hairdressers, nail salons, outdoor attractions, and pubs and restaurants open once again.
‘I’m sure it will be a huge relief for those business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to get back to doing some of the things we love and have missed.
‘I urge everyone to continue to behave responsibly and remember ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ to suppress Covid as we push on with our vaccination programme.’
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 twelve.
Today marks the first time salons and hairdressers are able to treat customers since the third national lockdown was legally imposed in England on January 6.
Pub gardens and restaurants are now also allowed to welcome customers, along with indoor gyms, swimming pools and shops deemed non-essential.
One of the beauty companies delivering midnight services was Secret Spa, which offers at-home salon and spa treatments at home across London, Manchester and Brighton.
At the stroke of midnight, co-owner Emily Ewart-Perks, alongside hair stylist Nas Ganev and tan artist Magdelaine Gibson, visited a home in Balham, south London to offer their long-awaited services to clients Amy Pallister and Isabella Robinson.
‘It’s so amazing. It’s just been such a long time coming,’ Ms Ewart-Perks said.
‘I know that our therapists are just so happy to be working with clients again.
‘Everyone has really missed the social contact of the day-to-day job and making clients happy. We haven’t been able to do that for the best part of five-to-six months.’
For Ms Ewart-Perks, the reopening announcement was initially met with a measure of apprehension.
She said: ‘When Boris (Johnson) made the announcement that close contact beauty therapy could go ahead, I think a lot of people had been waiting for the news, just to be 100% sure, because the last reopening from lockdown we were given dates and then the dates were delayed.
‘It was kind of staggered. It was hair first, then treatments to the body, and we had to wait ages for treatments to the face. So we had to do a lot of cancelling and moving appointments on that lockdown reopening.
‘So I think people were very nervous (this time around), and when it was confirmed we just saw a surge of bookings.’
It was that surge in demand which prompted Ms Ewart-Perks to offer midnight services.
‘We realised we had quite a few regular clients who we weren’t able to book in on the first day back, so we thought ‘why don’t we open the first moment we can?’
‘And then we’re filling a lot of people in at dawn – a lot of 6am haircuts. Which is amazing, because people are going to have their hair cut and blowdried and then they can get on a Zoom call.
‘The first day back is going to be double our best-ever day to date. I can’t believe we’re here.’
Ms Pallister, who received the first hair cut of the day, said the return of beauty services could not have come sooner.
‘(The haircut) feels amazing, I can’t stop touching it,’ she said. ‘(It’s been) about seven or eight months, since my last one, so I had some very split ends. I’m very impatient, so I didn’t want to wait. (I booked it) as soon as they could fit me in.’
With her hair now in order, Ms Pallister said her personal celebration of lockdown easing has only just begun.
She said: ‘A bit of self-care and pampering definitely makes you feel better, so I’m really looking forward to getting back into the pub gardens and feeling a bit more like myself, rather than being cooped up indoors.
‘I’ve got an excuse to get my nails done and put my makeup on and just enjoy life a bit more now. I’m also hoping my new haircut will get me a date. I’ve been single for a long time now, so I reckon it’ll help.’
Eager patrons queued outside The Oak Inn in Coventry at midnight on Sunday as Covid restrictions were partially eased, allowing for beer gardens to open
A group of eager drinkers enjoy a pint at the Kentish Belle in Bexley Heath at a minute past midnight as the Covid restrictions were eased
A group of six friends made the most of the new rules by flocking straight to the Oak Inn in Coventry for a long-awaited drink
Around 61% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to official figures suggesting that more than 32 million people have received a jab. More than 14% have had both doses
After three months of full national lockdown, the Government said on Sunday that a further seven people had died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test, bringing the UK total to 127,087
The Government said that, as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 1,730 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,369,775
The Coventry establishment is licensed until 6am, and also plans to sell food throughout the night, such as pizzas, burgers and kebabs
The midnight drinks were a long time coming for punters who have been forced to stay away from pubs, bars and restaurants for months
While many pubs will have to remain shut because they cannot offer outdoor space, others had a headstart by opening their doors at midnight
The dedicated patrons of The Oak Inn in Coventry enjoy their first post-lockdown pints just minutes after midnight
Many pubs are fully booked this week as people relish the opportunity to have a drink at an establishment for the first time in months
Secret Spa tan artist Magdelaine Gibson prepares client Isabella Robinson, 27, before giving her a spray tan
Five housemates desperate for a trim and tan booked Secret Spa stylist Nas Ganev and tan artist Magdelaine Gibson to visit their home at one minute past midnight
A barman is seen pulling a pint at a pub as they prepare to open their gardens after months of restrictions
For many venues today will be the first revenue since England’s January 5 lockdown. The unpredictable weather remained the number one worry.
There is also confusion among landlords who have been told their outdoor seating does not qualify as outdoors according to government guidance.
Shelters and temporary structures must have half the walls open at all times to count as outdoors.
But local councils are interpreting the rules differently leaving some landlords and restaurant owners in the lurch on the eve of their supposed reopening.
One landlord has been told his walled garden pub cannot reopen despite having taken more than 1,000 bookings.
Another publican in Brighton told The Telegraph he was ‘devastated’ that his pub could not reopen even though it has a substantial outdoor space.
But other landlords are excited for the influx of customers despite reservations about the weather.
Henry Cripps, from the Three Oaks pub in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, said: ‘We realise that almost everything for the next five weeks is weather dependent so we have everything crossed for sun. We couldn’t wait to see our regulars, so we have invested heavily in our garden.’
Some restrictions have eased since pubs were last open. Customers will not need to order a substantial meal with alcoholic drinks and there will be no 10pm curfew. But Boris Johnson has postponed his planned celebratory pint because of Prince Philip’s death on Friday.
However, a green group has warned the rush to drink and dine outdoors will cause a spike in air pollution from gas burning patio heaters. Oliver Lord, of Environmental Defence Fund Europe, said: ‘We need to support the hospitality sector to bounce back safely and use electric heaters, which are far cleaner and more efficient.’
Hairdressers are also booked up for weeks. Joanna Hansford, 46, who runs a high-end salon in Mayfair with her mother Jo, has 2,000 clients booked in for April and was opening at 5am this morning.
She said: ‘We’re very excited, it’s been a long lockdown and it has been a lot tougher.’
The drinks were flowing at the establishments which opened up for the first time in months at midnight on Monday morning
It is expected to be a bumper week for the pub industry after months of closures as people make the most of their new freedoms
Despite it being a Sunday night, many people across the country headed straight to the pub the minute they reopened