BRITS who haven’t had a haircut for 100 days have rushed to salons for a trim as they reopened at midnight.
Hairdressers across the country were allowed to welcome their first customers since March from July 4.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
And many wasted no time, throwing open their doors at midnight to eager punters queuing outside.
Daren Terry, of Lotus Styling in Bognor, told MailOnline: “I’ve opened at midnight because the demand was there.
“In truth, I could stay open for the next 24 hours and I would be flat out because we have been closed for so long.”
Customer Kai Ward, 51, said: “I always get my hair cut by Daren. Once I knew he was going to start at midnight I had to be the first.”
And Charlotte Stephan, owner of Charlotte’s Academy, said: “I’m so excited. I’m very close to a lot of my customers and it feels as if I’m being reunited with family members.
“I have to be there to see them again but it’s going to be really hard not to hug them.
“I don’t like coffee so it’s adrenaline that’s going to be keeping me awake.”
It comes as gasping punters are set to sink 15million pints from 6am on Saturday when England’s pubs reopen for the first time in four months.
Breakfast bevvies will kick off a Super Saturday of the nation getting back to business.
Boris Johnson urged drinkers not to get too hammered, saying they should “enjoy summer safely”.
He pledged to buy a beer this weekend but warned: “We are not out of the woods yet.”
Prince William sank a pint of cider at his local yesterday to show support for the hospitality industry.
Experts reckon 23,000 pubs will reopen under metre-plus social distancing rules.
Some had hoped to open doors when the latest lockdown-easing measures began at midnight.
But to prevent all-night parties No10 said punters could only be served from 6am.
Cafés, hairdressers, restaurants, cinemas and theme parks are also back today in a major boost to the nation’s morale. All will see big changes to the norm.
Gregg Grundy, landlord of The Egremont in Worthing, West Sussex, said: “It’s rise and shine for the return of pubs. The first sip is going to be a cracker.
“I’ll be raring to go from 6am and can’t wait to serve ice-cold pints to my loyal customers in a new dawn for the industry.”
Early in lockdown industry chiefs warned 19,000 pubs could close for ever. Yesterday the PM warned the economy depended on “every single one of us acting responsibly”.
He added: “The virus is still with us as Leicester’s spike has shown.”
But Boris said he hopes to avoid closing pubs again if infection rates rise — adding he preferred to target local outbreaks.
He stressed: “You should wear a face covering when in a crowded space with people you don’t normally come into contact with.”
