More businesses to open in Black Country and Staffordshire as lockdown restrictions ease

Restrictions on casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks and soft play areas were due to be relaxed on August 1 by the Government.

But it was postponed for two weeks after a sudden rise in coronavirus cases in parts of the country – with the announcement coming a day before.

It led to frustrations for businesses across the Black Country and Staffordshire as well as a loss of trade due to them being forced to cancel bookings.

They can finally reopen from tomorrow after ministers gave them the go ahead – but some owners have hit out at the Government for a lack of guidance.

Hollywood Bowl, which has a site at Bentley Bridge in Wednesfield, is set to reopen – along with the firm's other sites – after being forced to postpone their plans.

Stephen Burns, chief executive of the Hollywood Bowl Group, said: "It’s a great relief to finally have clarity on when we can reopen after such unexpected and long delays.

"We’ve been ready to reopen in the fully government approved Covid-secure way for many weeks and our trained teams are eager to get back to work.

"Our centres are spacious and well suited for social distancing, and we’ve put in place wide-ranging hygiene and sanitisation measures.

"We are all ready and very excited to welcome our customers back to once again enjoy our unique offering of inclusive family fun."

Amanda Froggatt, owner of Spacehoppas playzone in West Bromwich, said they would reopen next week and were awaiting guidance.

She said: "It's been very very stressful and a huge worry trying to last out, but we've kept ourselves busy. We started doing free meals for children who are struggling and we're still doing food boxes.

"We've had no guidance and I was just about to email a councillor about it. It's been a complete shock, really, because we were hoping to get the information through.

"So we're planning on opening next Saturday instead, but we've got all the screens and stuff. The issue is knowing that we're doing it right.

"It's been a complete nightmare but we can't wait for people to come back, but again it's knowing how many people we can have in."

Tenpin bowling run by the Ten Entertainment Group, which has sites in Wolverhampton, Stafford and Telford, will also reopen to visitors.

Nick Basing, interim executive chairman, said: "We are delighted that we can now open and welcome back customers especially families and children tomorrow.

"We are fully prepared and looking forward to bringing people and families together and delivering entertainment in a very safe way.

"The Government has delivered extraordinary levels of support enabling businesses like ours to endure the crisis and emerge intact to restart and rebuild from here.

"We can, in turn, assist in ensuring that families and people of all ages can enjoy the bowling experience safely, together again."

Grosvenor Casinos, which has a site in Walsall and two in Birmingham, announced it would reopen a total of 36 of its stores – including the ones in the region.

Jonathon Swaine, managing director at Grosvenor Casinos, said: "We’re delighted with the decision and we are ready to reopen our casinos in England in line with Government guidance having already proved we have not only complied with, but exceeded the hygiene and safety standards set by Public Health England.

"I’d like to thank our colleagues for their support and patience, and I would also like to welcome our broader work force back to work.

"While it has been a hugely challenging time for the industry, the health and safety of our customers and team has always been our top priority.

"We’ve been ready to reopen safely for a number of weeks and we are delighted we can now finally welcome back our customers to enjoy our casinos safely once more."