Pub chain Wetherspoons is set to open beer gardens, rooftop gardens and patios at 394 of its pubs across England when lockdown restrictions ease from Monday, April 12.

The pubs will be open from 9am to 9pm from Sunday to Thursday and 9am to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays - although some branches will have restrictions on closing times.

When they reopen a slightly reduced menu will be offered, with food available from 9am to 8pm seven days a week.

Customers will be able to order and pay through the Wetherspoon app, and staff will be able to take orders and payment at the table.

Wetherspoon is to open beer gardens, rooftop gardens and patios at 394 of its pubs in England when the lockdown continues to ease from April 12.

Whitehaven News: (Wetherspoon/PA/ Martin Humby)(Wetherspoon/PA/ Martin Humby)

Customers will be able to enter the pubs to gain access to the outside areas and use toilets, while test and trace will be in operation and hand sanitisers will be available.

Speaking earlier this year, Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said: “We are looking forward to welcoming our customers and staff back to our pubs.”

Pubs and restaurants in England will be able to serve customers outdoors from April 12 as part of the road map out of the lockdown which has devastated the hospitality sector.

Which Wetherspoons are opening in Cumbria?

If you're looking forward to heading back to your local Wetherspoons and enjoy a cold pint, here is every branch with a beer garden opening on April 12 across Cumbria.

  • Furness Railway, Abbey Road, Barrow
  • Woodrow Wilson, Botchergate, Carlisle
  • William Rufus, Bothchergate, Carlisle
  • Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Bank Street, Keswick
  • Dog Beck, Southend Road, Penrith
  • The Miles Thompson, Allhallows Lane, Kendal

These are the branches that will remain closed for now:

  • The Bransty Arch, Bransty Row, Whitehaven
  • The Henry Bessemer, New Oxford Street, Workington

Last month, the company announced plans to invest an initial £145 million developing new pubs and upgrading existing pubs - creating 2,000 new jobs in the process.

The development project is set to start within weeks of its pubs reopening fully.

It has a pipeline of 75 projects - 18 of which are new pubs and 57 significant extensions and upgrades to its existing 871 pubs.

The first tranche of new pubs and extensions will be located in towns and cities including Leeds, Birmingham, Newport Pagnell, Heswall, Sheffield, Felixstowe, Dublin, Haverfordwest, Carmarthen and Glasgow.

Once the 75 projects in the pipeline are completed, Wetherspoon anticipates investing £750 million to open 15 new pubs and enlarging 50 existing pubs each year for ten years. This ten-year pub project will result in 20,000 new jobs.

Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said: “Our immediate investment will provide work for architects, contractors and builders as well as result in 2,000 new jobs for staff in our pubs.

“We are geared up to start on the first projects within a few months. “We are also committed to our long-term investment and job creation programme over the next decade.

“However, the investment is conditional on the UK opening back up again on a long-term basis, with no further lockdowns or the constant changing of rules.”