A NORTHWICH beauty salon owner says she is "ecstatic" to be re-opening following an easing in lockdown restrictions.

Liz Hurrell, who owns Professional Eyes Studio, which is located on the First Floor of 125-129 Witton Street, said that 90 per cent of her business relates to above the neck treatments, meaning it's been almost impossible for them to operate since March.

During the long months of lockdown, the company, which employees four professionally trained women, was on the cusp of potential closure, with the green light from the government coming "just in time".

Liz said: "We're all absolutely ecstatic.

"The phone hasn't stopped ringing since the announcement was made, so much so, we're also going to be opening on Sunday now.

"Over the course of the next three days (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) we will take more money than we have in the whole of the last six months.

"We specialise in the work we do, 90 per cent of which takes place above the neck, so the easing in restrictions is great news for us."

Hopes have previously been raised before being dashed by the government, with Liz saying she hoped the current easing in restrictions did not represent another false dawn, of which there have been three already.

She added: "Business has been dire to be honest.

"We have more than 1400 clients here and I was worried about whether they would want to come back, but it's looking good so far as the diary is fully booked.

"It's not just our business that misses our clients, it's the coffee shops in the town where they might go afterwards. It has a huge knock-on effect."

With the government imposing a list of guidelines for the beauty industry to follow, one of them - a need to take bookings by appointment only - was at least one that the business could easily achieve.

She went on: "Handily, booking by appointment only was how we do it anyway.

"The worst bit of not being able to open was not really having any idea as to why. I have four professional technician's working for me here and although it's been really difficult, we're all doing the best we can.

"We know beauty isn't a matter of life and death, but it's an important multi-million pound industry that employees hundreds and thousands of women around the country."

The moves to allow more businesses to open across England were postponed from August 1 due to concerns about a slight increase in the number of people testing positive but that now appears to have levelled off.