The Hollywood Bowling Group have urged the government to re-open ten-pin bowling sites as a matter of priority, ahead of the prime minister announcing the road map out of lockdown.

There are Hollywood Bowl sites at Middlebrook and The Rock, in Bury, which have had to remain closed for most of lockdown due to restrictions on indoor leisure.

The popular bowling sites had to close in March at the start of the first national lockdown and were not allowed to reopen again until August 1.

Stephen Burns, CEO, at the Hollywood Bowl Group, is now urging the government to allow their sites to reopen as soon as possible, as they believe they can operate as a Covid-safe environment.

He said: “We are urging the government to reopen ten-pin bowling as early as possible.

"We have shown that we can operate safely in our spacious centres, which are well suited to single household groups and have invested heavily in our Covid-secure measures.

“Indoor leisure was one of the last sectors to reopen and has suffered extensive loss of income as a result.

"The data shows that we can operate safely and we are ready to reopen and looking forward to welcoming our customers back.”

A number of new rules and cleaning measures were put in place when the site opened back in August.

The number of customers allowed to bowl at any one time was lowered to ensure effective social distancing.

People were only allowed to use alternative lanes and groups of bowlers in each lane was limited to six.

Disposable plastic gloves could also be used by people for extra safety.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, is set to announced the 'road map' out of lockdown on February 22.

Many reports suggest that schools will first be prioritised, and could be opened as soon as March 8.

Non-essential shops followed by hospitality, perhaps as soon as April could then be reopened.

However, it is unclear when leisure facilities, such as cinemas or bowling alleys, may open again.