Punters enjoyed a lunchtime drink at the Halfway House on Huddersfield Road, Wyke, this afternoon, as the sun shone on the first day of reopening.

Linda Brannigan, who runs the pub with Margaret Bagshaw, said the period of lockdowns over the past year had been “horrendous”.

“We’ve worked four months out of the last year,” said Linda.

“Then, with restrictions, people just weren’t coming out, we were losing money hand over fist, it was just horrendous.”

She added: “It was exciting knowing we were going to be opening again, obviously we put the work and the effort into getting it ready.

“It has been quiet at the minute, but come teatime, I think it will be buzzing out there.”

She said it was lovely to see the regulars back and the reaction had been “brilliant”.

There’s hope that as the week goes on, the momentum will continue.

“Obviously people have got to work, it’s a Monday, maybe come the weekend things will pick up.”

They are now urging people to support their locals as they open their doors again and are looking forward to the next milestone  - May 17 – when they can welcome people inside without a 10pm curfew.

The pair spoke of how Covid-19 restrictions have had an impact on the pub trade.

Linda said: “People want to go to pubs to see friends, they want to have a laugh, they don’t want to go and be told ‘you can’t do this and you can’t do that’.”

Luke Kerrins, 27, Anthony Bannon, 38 and June Bannon, 38, were enjoying a drink in the afternoon sun and welcomed a “bit of normality” back in their lives and said it had been something to look forward to.