Punters delighted to be back inside pubs as rain and hailstones batter Southsea on lockdown easing day

And the timing of customers being able to enjoy their favourite tipple inside with shelter worked out perfectly as rain and hailstones suddenly battered Albert Road on Monday lunchtime.

It forced those who were outside enjoying a drink in the sun moments earlier to dash inside – highlighting the obvious benefits of pubs opening the inside of their premises to people for the first time since December.

Sean Muns, general manager of The Kings on Albert Road, said: ‘It’s good to have the option to have people inside especially when it starts to thrown it down like this.

‘It is good having people back inside as when they’re outside there is less face to face interaction so now it’s good because you can speak to more people.

‘The novelty of drinking outside wore off after a crazy first couple of weeks back when the weather was good. People then seemed to decide to wait until the inside was open again before coming back.

‘It’s nice to have the hustle and bustle back down the road as other places were shut until today. We look forward to having all our furloughed staff back this week too.’

Punter Kate Thatcher, who owns nearby shop Southscene, had to move inside The Kings after enjoying a drink outside when there was a sudden downpour. ‘It’s nice to be able to go inside. Before we would have gone home,’ she said.

‘It’s nice drinking outside when the weather is good but not when the weather is bad. And the weather hasn’t been good recently.’

James Wilson, general manager at The Vaults, said they had only opened on Monday after deciding it was not worth it before due to the limited seating outside. ‘As soon as we open it starts chucking it down so it’s just as well we are allowed to open the inside now,’ he said.

‘People are ringing up and booking to come in for lunchtime beers.

‘A lot of our regulars are looking forward to coming back. People are hungry for the pub experience and to see family and friends again. I think we will bounce back.’

Southsea friends Ian Jones, Martin Hudson and Rupert Ronca said it ‘felt great to be back in the pub’.

‘It’s good to have people around you and try proper beers in a glass that you would not normally be able to drink,’ they said.

‘A lot of pubs have been shut so it’s good to see them open again.’

Further along Albert Road, new landlord Aidan Estell was pleased to finally be able to open the doors again to The Fifth Hants Volunteer Arms. ‘We only took over the pub in November and then had to shut the doors again a couple of weeks after so we’re not really sure what to expect,’ he said.

‘It was packed at weekends before we closed so hopefully it will be like that but we’ve only just opened so it’s early days. We lost a lot of stock before Christmas and have had to rely on government grants since.’

Punter Kieran Tomkin, 19, was enjoying his first beer inside the pub since last year. ‘It’s been nice,’ he said. ‘It’s the social interaction that I’ve missed. It will be good when we can have bands back too.’

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It was a feeling shared by Fareham couple Alfie and Sarah Horne, both 38, who were back in familiar territory to make the most of lockdown restrictions easing. ‘It’s so nice to be able to come back to this bustling place and have a drink in a pub,’ Sarah said.

‘I think we all got used to the horrible normal of being at home - it’s not natural. We’ve missed live music too. It’s lovely to be back in the pub.’

Musician Alfie added: ‘It’s surreal to be back. I miss playing out in pubs and the social aspect. It’s good when you bump into people you know.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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