Increased police presence in Chesterfield this weekend as pubs reopen

Officials are urging people to adhere to social distancing rules and respect the measures put in place by businesses to ensure they are ‘Covid-secure’.

MORE: What hospitality firms in the Chesterfield area have to say ahead of July 4 reopening

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “After over 100 days of lockdown, this is a great chance for you to visit the town centre and support our local businesses.

“Sustaining our many brilliant independent businesses as well as the many household names that appear on Chesterfield’s high street is vital for our local economy.

“Please do look after yourselves and your families.

“If we all follow the rules we can keep everyone safe.

“It is vitally important that we all remember this when visiting our favourite pubs and restaurants.”

A council spokesperson added: “The council is working closely with its partners including Derbyshire Constabulary to help ensure that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

“There will be an increased police presence and the council’s town centre ambassadors will also be on hand if people need any support.

“Bars and restaurants will be collecting customer details as part of their responsibility under the NHS Track and Trace system.”

The council is also urging people who are planning to make a special visit to a particular business to check that it is open as some firms have delayed reopening until Monday.

Taxis are expected to be busy and people are being advised to book one in advance.

Inspector Emma Marshall, of Derbyshire Constabulary, said: “It’s great for the local economy that pubs and restaurants can reopen – but people visiting need to be aware that their evening out is likely to be very different from previous nights out.

“People will need to be patient as queues are likely to be longer than expected and respect the rights of other to socially distance while everyone takes the opportunity to enjoy themselves.

“We will be supporting our colleagues in environmental health to identify breaches and take appropriate action where necessary.”

MORE: Owners comment on future of Chesterfield's Frankie and Benny's

A message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor