A Chesterfield landlord says staff at his pub were praised by the authorities for how they responded to massive numbers of people who turned up at the weekend.

Trevor Marples, joint owner of the Spotted Frog, on Chatsworth Road, said the sheer number of people on the first Saturday after lockdown restrictions eased brought ‘numerous challenges’.

However, he thanked the vast majority of customers, and his staff, for being ‘brilliant’.

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Staff at the Spotted Frog, on Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield, were praised for how they handled large numbers of customers on the first weekend after lockdown.

placeholder image — Staff at the Spotted Frog, on Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield, were praised for how they handled large numbers of customers on the first weekend after lockdown.

"Whilst we hoped and knew to a degree it was going to be busy, the volume of people through the doors was massive,” Mr Marples said.

“This bought with it numerous challenges, but overall, the response by the large majority was brilliant, as was the work by, all, of our staff.

“We were commended by the relevant authorities for what we have done and are doing.”

The Spotted Frog has transformed its outdoor drinking areas to provide up to 250 seats in ‘beach huts’.

They each feature their own TVs, heaters, Wi-Fi and USB connections for customers to enjoy.

Derbyshire police said today there were no ‘significant’ incidents over the first reopening weekend and praised drinkers for being responsible.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “We didn’t experience any significant incidents over the weekend.

"We did have additional officers on duty as we expected to see a rise in people visiting beauty spots and of course licensed premises but on the whole, people took the opportunity to enjoy the sunny weekend responsibly."