ONE of East Lancashire’s top restaurants has revealed its plans to reopen after the coronavirus lockdown.

The award-winning Freemasons at Wiswell has decided to open on Friday July 24 with a reduced capacity and menu with a host of safety initiatives to protect diners.

Chef patron Steven Smith said: “We have taken every possible precaution to ensure the safety of its team and its customers, in accordance with the government’s guidelines, in the run-up to opening. We want to assure our customers that no stone has been left unturned and we want you to feel happy and confident during your visit to the pub.

“For the immediate future, the pub will only be able to accept two households per booking and we will continue to actively encourage a 2m social distance where practical and possible.

“Temperatures of all team members will be checked daily upon arrival.

“We have introduced additional cleaning procedures and taken all reasonable steps to ensure distance in the workplace, where possible.

We have reduced the number of tables within the pub, increased the distance between the remaining tables, all of which will be set using gloves and facemasks.”