New 'night marshals' will patrol Leeds city centre this weekend as bars and pubs reopen

A team of council marshals will support police for the first two weekends of the reopening, reminding the public to maintain social distancing in busy areas.

West Yorkshire Police will also deploy extra resources to the city centre.

Restaurants, bars, cinemas and other leisure venues will be permitted to reopen from Saturday as part of the latest relaxation of lockdown restrictions.

But under the Government's current social distancing guidance, people enjoying the city's bars and pubs must remain at two metres apart from other households or, if not possible, 'one metre plus'.

Leeds Council said it has issued guidance for residents, visitors and businesses as it prepares to reopen the city's nighttime economy.

Letters and social distancing signs have been sent to businesses and pavements have been widened where possible to provide more space for people to move safely.

Most venues in Leeds will be operating with at a significantly reduced capacity, with bookings made online or on a first-come, first-served basis.

Perspex screens, table service, hand sanitiser stations and socially-distant tables are just some of the new measures expected at the city's watering holes - and no live bands are permitted.

There will be extra cleaning carried out on the city's streets, particularly on objects being touched such as benches, bins and transport hubs.

Councillor Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “We know many people are looking forward to venues reopening, but we would appeal to everyone to respect the rules to ensure venues can keep staff and customers safe. #

"This is another important step in our city centre reopening and bringing its economy back to life.

“We are working closely with businesses and partners to do all we can to help the reopening run smoothly, but we need everyone to play their part to make it a success and keep everyone safe.”

Key changes to the city centre:

- Music levels in all venues will be restricted to ensure all customers can talk normally, with no live band performances allowed

- The council is fast-tracking temporary street café licence applications to allow more seating outside

- Signage and safety messages will be visible on the street in the city's popular nightlife areas, as well as hand sanitiser stations

- Improvement schemes already underway, such as the refurbishment of Greek Street, have been accelerated and will now aid safe social distancing by creating more pedestrian space and wider footpaths