Bustling Southsea hotspots sees drinkers flock to the pubs

Police offered a visible presence in Palmerston Road as pubs and bars reopened their doors again.

New measures were in place to control the spread of coronavirus but the mood was one of relief and happiness after a difficult four months.

Andre Slemco, bar manager of The Monarch, said: ‘It is exciting to be open for the first time serving food and drink.

‘Our customers are excited too - we’ve had a lot of interest on social media.

‘We’ve gone above and beyond with safety by offering customers disposable gloves and menus.

‘We want everyone to feel as safe as possible.’

Punter Trevor Boden, 45, said: ‘It’s nice to be able to see people in the pub rather than the garden and chat to people you don’t know.

‘Table service is good but it is strange having the banter with staff from a distance.

‘I feel very safe though with all the hygiene measures.’

Daniel Toma and Laura Itcou, from London, said: ‘It has been perfect and relaxing. We feel very safe.

‘We are happy with the measures because we don’t want a second wave of the virus.’

Meanwhile punters at The Kings Pub in Albert Road, Southsea, were delighted to be back in their boozer.

Local Jackie Tuckwood, 55, said: ‘It’s good to be back. I feel safe and am not worried.’

Alan Watson, 68, said: ‘It’s great to be out again and socialise after lockdown.’

Mark and Nicky Spooner, both 51 from Gosport, added: ‘It’s a good feeling to be back although it is a bit weird. We’ve got 100 days to catch up on now.

‘It’s like being abroad with table service and you don’t have to wait any longer. There are no plastic cups which we were expecting, so that was a nice surprise.’

Steve Hudson, landlord of the pub, said: ‘We’re excited to be open though it does feel very different.

‘We checked out the lengths of tables, have sanitiser stations at doors and toilets and wipe down the table after every customer leaves.

‘We have tried to minimise contact between staff and customers.’

The landlord revealed there had been an issue with a rowdy group of men. ‘There was a group of about 10 lads who we had to ask to leave because they were standing up and didn’t adhere to our warning,’ he said.

Police then moved on the men outside the pub, drinkers said.

SEE ALSO: CCTV released of two men following Southsea robbery

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