PUBS, cafes and other businesses are getting ready to open their doors again from July 4 but many are still waiting for clear instructions for the government.

Devizes brewery Wadworth will start by opening just 12 of its managed houses and not until the third week of July, while tenanted houses will be able to make their own decisions about when to open from July 4.

Included in the 12 are The Crown in Devizes and The Barge at Seend.

Wadworth CEO Chris Welham said: “Tuesday’s announcement by the Prime Minister is very welcome news. This will mean that more pubs will be viable to operate with one metre-plus distancing. We await the detail of the Government’s Covid Secure protocols.

“What I am most pleased about is that pubs have been rightly recognised as being at the heart of responsible socialising.

“We will introduce the Covid guidance in full to provide a safe and reassuring environment for our customers and our people. Our plans on reopening pubs remain on a phased basis.

“As a result, we envisage that the first 12 of our managed pubs will open in the third week of July. More locally, the Crown in Devizes and the Barge at Seend are two of the initial 12 and we will be able to trade both inside and outside the premises.” Our Tenanted pubs can choose to reopen from the 4th July.

“We continue to support our Business Partners with relevant guidance alongside a continued cancellation of all rents for a further short period and then a stepped rent over the next 12 months to aid their cashflow”. Ginny Long from the King’s Arms at All Cannings, near Devizes, which is a Wadworth tenanted pub said: “We still have not been given the guidelines from the brewery or Boris about re opening.

“We have spent the whole of the shutdown refurbishing the pub. It looks very different now.” We are hoping to finish before opening. It has been very hard getting paint and building materials during lockdown.”

Sophie from Bunces, Marlborough which has just had a second floor extension, and has recently opened for takeaways, said: “As a smaller space, more outdoor space for tables would be great. However, finding a balance between parking availability to encourage people to visit, pedestrian safety and outdoor seating must be very tricky and carefully thought through.”

Jason Kalen, who owns The Marlborough, Marlborough said: “We have spent lockdown renovating the restaurant, and are ready to go as we already had worked out table distances and how people can come in and out of the garden area.”Our takeaways have been very popular and we expect to keep that side of things running too.”

Landlord of the Seven Stars, Bottlesford, Graham Thompson said: “Good news – but we will be focussed on food, so people will need to book tables, and we can serve drinks to the tables.

“Then we will see how it goes. Luckily, we have a lot of outside space anyway.”

Kevin Barker, leaseholder of The Bear in Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, was also apprehensive about how the new guidelines will operate.

He said: “We are all ready. All we need are customers.

“The pub will reopen on July 4 but I don’t see how we can control our customers.”

“I don’t see how we can ‘police’ them. If we have got a table off six people, it’s not my job to ask if they are all from the same family.”

Sally Gough of Trowbridge hair salon, M’dam & M’sieur, said that she and her staff were over the moon with the government announcement – and they are already booked three weeks ahead.

“We’re prepared for our customers and all of my staff will be happy to be back at work,” she said.

“It’s been a long time and we need to try and get back to what the new normal is.”

Her salon will have fewer chairs to allow for social distancing and a sanitation station, as well as this, Sally and her staff will be wearing masks, visors, and plastic aprons. While clients will have to wear masks and plastic aprons during their appointments.

“We can’t give refreshments out, which feels a shame. The experience for the client is going to be a little bit different for a while.”

James Sullivan Tailyour, owner of The Swan Hotel in Bradford on Avon, said: “We are absolutely delighted by the announcement.

“We have been working hard during lockdown doing some refurbishment and offering takeaways.

“We are trying to figure out how to operate under the new conditions which we believe will be implemented.

“We are still dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s but we will be offering food and a full range of drinks.

“We will reopen for accommodation on July 3 and hope to be serving breakfasts to residents on July 4.

“It’s a relief to have a plan. Before, it was so unsettling because no-one knew what was going to happen. At least we know what’s going on now.

“We will be installing a small screen at the bar where customers order, and putting in new signage and health and safety precautions such as gel, hand sanitisers and wet wipes.

“Although we have been closed for three months, the bills haven’t stopped coming in and we have got all that to come.

“We will be spending the next few months paying off all the debts that we have run up over the last three months.

“I don’t think there will be a big take up with visits to pubs when we reopen. I think it will be a slow burn. People will still be nervous about visiting pubs.

“I think it could take up to a year to repair all the damage that has been done to the hospitality and leisure industry. It’s going to be a long, slow recovery and it’s not going to happen overnight.

“One of the good things that has come out of lockdown is that it has been heartening to see the local community supporting local businesses.

“We really want to see that continue and to build on that.”

Clive Hilton, manager of The Dog & Fox pub in Ashley Road, Bradford on Avon, said: “We are overjoyed that pubs are reopening but the financial aspects are less certain.

“We are awaiting the reopening with some apprehension. The danger is that we have got 80-90 per cent of the costs with a reduced revenue.

“My pub is small so it’s going to be quite difficult to get people to adhere to social distancing.

“I have been looking at our financial model to how we can safely collect glasses and marshal the social distancing if we can’t afford to take on staff.“I am not going to be offering food immediately when we reopen because it’s going to be difficult to keep people one metre apart when they’re eating.

“I’m personally apprehensive about how it’s going to work.”