PUBS on either side of the border enjoyed welcoming customers back indoors again on Monday after months of closure.

After weeks of bad weather, those heading out for a drink were able to make the most of the warm indoor areas pubs have to offer after lockdown restrictions were eased further.

Both England and Wales permitted outdoor service at pubs and restaurants when restrictions eased last month, but indoor dining and drinking was not allowed until Monday.

Chelly Jones, landlord at The Stanton House Inn, in Chirk, was happy to see familiar faces back inside the pub for the first time in almost half a year.

She also thanked customers for their support in recent weeks, who did not let the weather deter them from supporting their local pubs.

“It has been brilliant,” she said. “It’s great to have people back indoors.

“We’ve been really busy over the past few weeks – the first week was phenomenal.

“We had a lot of bad weather but it was still really good and our customers have been right behind us. We’re really grateful for their support.”

The support in recent weeks has also not gone unnoticed at Stonehouse Brewery, in Weston Road, which also reopened for indoor service on Monday.

Director at Stonehouse, Alison Parr, echoed Chelly’s comments and thanked customers for their help while they operated on an outdoor-service only basis.

She said: “It’s amazing how hardy our customers have been coming out to have a pint despite the weather.

“We are really grateful for that – apart from having cash coming over the counter, it’s nice to actually see people and have a catch up with all the familiar faces, and new ones as well.

“It’s been a very long year on and off, and a very long winter since we last had people in here before Christmas, so it’s nice to hear people laughing, joking and chatting again.”

After welcoming customers back inside, Alison and the team at Stonehouse are also looking forward to not being weather-reliant in coming weeks.

She added: “We expect this week to be very busy. It is going to be much better being inside.

“It has been nice to have people indoors, enjoying the warmth and not having to wear their thermals in May.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave pubs the green light to reopen indoors after confirming the roadmap out of lockdown would not be delayed, despite concerns over the new Indian variant of the virus.

Wales moved to alert level two on Monday, meaning restrictions were eased to allow all tourist accommodation to reopen as well as indoor visitor attractions, including museums and galleries, while up to 30 people will also be able to take part in organised indoor events and up to 50 people in organised outdoor events.