STROUD MP Siobhan Baillie was one of those to venture out to the pub on Saturday.

Ms Baillie headed out to Miserden with her husband and baby daughter for a some refreshment at the Carpenters Arms, where she was introduced to licensees Kevin and Debbie Allin.

"Lovely to be with Kevin and Debbie at the Carpenters Arms in Miserden as they opened up for the first time in months," she tweeted.

"Like so many local businesses, the Covid safety system they have put in place for staff and customers has taken weeks of planning, building and implementing."

Ms Baillie was given a tour of the pub, to show how it has been adapted to meet the current government guidelines, with new measures including table service, risk assessments and a one way system. 

Commenting on the visit, Mr Allin said: "It is fantastic to finally be open again, and to welcome our wonderful community into the pub.

"We are so grateful for the support we received from our local community during lockdown.

"It was a pleasure to see Siobhan supporting local businesses that are vital to the community and offering her support.

"We've been working extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure the pub is entirely safe for everyone to return, and I am so grateful for all the support and care we have received from Admiral Taverns during the recent months.”

Following a relatively quiet reopening of bars and pubs at the weekend, Gloucestershire Police has thanked the public for their help and support

Chief Inspector Roddy Gosden said: "In all, it was a relatively quiet Saturday night and on the whole good humoured without the high levels of demand that we had planned for. It appeared that many people stayed away.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone for their cooperation this weekend.

"I would also like to thank the landlords for going above and beyond to make their venues safe places for people to visit.

"We will continue to work with pubs and clubs in the months ahead as social distancing measures remain in place."