A PUB owner has had to take on more staff after an “insanely busy” couple of weeks following the easing of lockdown measures by the government earlier this month.

Sue Law, one of the owners of the Holt Fleet pub near Worcester, said the pub has continued to be fully booked ever since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced pubs could re-open from July 4.

“We’ve been insanely busy. All the staff have now returned from furlough and I’ve even had to take more staff on in fact,” she said.

“We’ve got 22 staff and every member of staff has come back either full time or part time.

“Everybody has said how safe they have felt with everything we have in place.

“It’s been absolutely non-stop. Lots of people are still a bit nervous to come out but we’ve got such a lovely outdoor space that people have come just to sit there and the inside has always been fully booked.

“I’m over the moon with the trade.”

Last month, Mrs Law said she felt like it was Christmas Eve waiting for the announcement from the government which would allow pints to start flowing again.

The family-run pub, on the banks of the River Severn at Holt Fleet, had ordered four special‘pods’ for its beer garden spaces, which sold out weeks in advance and have continued to prove popular.

“You just can’t get in them at the moment,” Mrs Law said.

“They’re fully booked every evening. Lunchtimes there is the odd one free but evenings they are completely booked.”

The pub has also signed up to the government’s Eat Out Help Out scheme which will give visitors 50 per cent off food and non-alcoholic drinks between Monday and Wednesday throughout August.

Mrs Law said there is still a long way to go but the reaction from locals has been brilliant.

“The phone just hasn’t stopped,” she said.

It’s all very positive and we’re really happy. It’s been a really great start.

“A lot of people still aren’t coming out but we’ve been wearing the face masks since day dot, I know some pubs aren’t wearing them, and I think people feel safer here because all the staff have got them on.

“As a family business, this is our livelihood, it is our home.

“It’s not just something we can hand the keys back and say we don’t want to do it anymore.

“I think people have not been out and spent money for a long time but I think people are happy that we are out in the country, it’s not in the middle of the town and we’ve got the space.

“I think that’s where we have scored.”