Pints poured and hair trimmed on 'Super Saturday' as lockdown eased
Pubs, hairdressers and restaurants across East Anglia have opened their doors for the first time since March after lockdown restrictions were eased on Saturday.
Despite some rain across the region, the weather did little to dampen spirits as many people headed out for the first time in months.
At the Bricklayers Arms in Luton, only regulars were allowed in and customers had their temperatures checked on arrival.
After sampling his first pub pint since the start of lockdown, one customer told ITV News Anglia that you "can't beat the pub environment."
Hear from customers at the Bricklayers Arms in Luton
Hairdressers were also popular as people queued for a long-awaited trim following months of DIY haircuits.
The Double Take Hair Salon in Hadleigh, Suffolk, already has 60 people on the waiting list, and welcomed back the first 14 of those on Saturday.
Staff arrived at the salon at 7.30am to prepare for the big day, and wore visors to protect themselves and reassure customers.
Among the other places to reopen on Saturday was Banham Zoo in Norfolk.
Local MP and International Trade Secretary Liz Truss paid a visit to the zoo to offer her support and also to encourage people to start visiting attractions again.
"I want to show people that we've got the safety measures in place so they can have confidence in coming out, enjoying themselves, and supporting these local attractions," she said.
"I think people are getting the message. What we want to see is businesses doing well, but part of that is people locally having the confidence to get their hair cut or visit the zoo. So, that's a really important part of helping the economy bounce back."
Watch an interview with Claudia Roberts
Like many zoos, Banham Zoo has struggled financially over the course of the pandemic and relies heavily on income generated from its visitors.
Claudia Roberts, managing director of the Zoological Society of East Anglia, admitted it had been an incredibly tough period.
Elsewhere, chauffeured punts were back on the water in Cambridge.
Staff at Scudamore's disinfected boats between rides and offered masks to customers who wanted them.
"Typically, we'd have 30-35 boats," Charlie Stepney from Scudamore's said.
"Obviously, we're starting at very staged, steady pace so we've just got 10 (boats) at the moment. We hope to increase that, but it all depends on how trade goes and what happens with social-distancing from here."