IT has been a very long wait, but Chester nightclubs are looking forward to reopening their doors next Monday.

Following the Government's confirmation that Covid restrictions will be relaxed further from July 19, that means nightclubs will be allowed to reopen with normal capacity limits, for the first time since March 2020.

Nightclubs and live music venues in Chester have welcomed the announcement.

For Rosies, on Northgate Street, it has been a long 16 months, but it will be reopening the doors to its 1,500-capacity venue on Monday, July 19 for what it has labelled 'Freedom Week'.

It will be open every night throughout the week, which each night having its own theme.

For more information, visit https://www.rosiesclubs.co.uk/chester

Cruise Chester, on St John Street, has also had a long wait to be able to reopen, but like Rosies will open on the first day available on July 19.

The £2.6 million venue features six rooms and two nightclubs.

For details, visit https://cruisechester.com/

Two other night spots in Chester are looking forward to being able to host live acts at full capacity once more.

Alexander's Live on Rufus Court will be hosting live music and comedy acts, having had acts perform to limited numbers as part of Government restrictions these past few weeks.

The venue, which is marking its 30th anniversary this year and has welcomed star names such as Bill Bailey, Jack Dee and Duffy in the past, will be hosting a range of public events each day except for Wednesdays.

Visit https://alexanderslive.com/ for details.

The Live Rooms on Station Road will also be reopening at full capacity from July 19, and has unveiled its Covid safety precautions both for staff and what visitors can do to help ensure everyone can enjoy the venue safely.

It said: "We can't wait to welcome you all back to The Live Rooms!

"We will be reopening at full capacity as safely as we possibly can and as we ease into normality, we ask that you help us and your local music scene by doing your part to be kind and help keep everyone within our music community safe.

"Our staff will all be wearing face coverings and hand sanitising regularly. We will be deep cleaning the venue before and after every show. We will be regularly cleaning high contact points and surfaces, creating additional air flow throughout the building and installing additional hand sanitiser stations around the venue.

"What can you do to help: Stay at home if you have any symptoms of covid or believe that may have been exposed to infection, get vaccinated, take regular lateral flow tests before going to events, wear a face covering. It is our belief that it is your personal choice to wear a face covering or not for however long you feel it is necessary. Regularly wash your hands and use the sanitiser stations that will be clearly marked around our venue.

"To be clear; we don't believe that we should operate a policy of excluding you from our venue because you haven't done these things.

"You will not be told that you must vaccinate, take a lateral flow test or wear a face covering on entry, however we would greatly appreciate it if you could do what you can to help protect yourselves, others and our staff during this time.

"Please be considerate of others who may be anxious, nervous or more vulnerable and carry on exercising caution to create a safe environment for all our customers and staff.

"Let's all play our part and make this a great space to Revive Live."

For more information, visit https://www.theliverooms.com/