BEAUTICIANS, hairdressers and tattooists in England have welcomed the news they will be allowed to reopen in April, including a business in Hereford.

Hair and beauty salons now also have a date to pin their hopes on, when from April 12 they will once again be able to open their doors, according to Prime Mininster Boris Johnson's map for lifting lockdown.

Closing on December 30, the same time as pubs and restaurants, when Herefordshire was put under Tier 3 of the Government’s local restrictions, one Hereford hairdresser now has some hope.

Elle Martin, of the eponymous salon in Church Street, said: “It’s great that there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.

“It is really helpful that he has given us a date that he is aiming for but, equally we appreciate the need to go cautiously, to assess the data, and to be prepared for the date to change if that proves necessary. 

“It would be extremely difficult for the hair and beauty industry to cope with another lockdown. It will be fantastic for the self esteem and wellbeing of clients for them to be able to get back into the salons. 

“And we salon owners and staff can’t wait to see them.”

But it comes as a consortium of industry bodies is calling for a £500 million recovery fund, pointing out the reopening date could well be pushed back.

The current date is dependent on the vaccination programme going to plan, a reduction in hospital admissions and deaths, a low rate of infection and new variants being kept under control.

Organisations including the British Beauty Council are also calling for a cut to VAT to just 5 per cent to help salons get back on their feet.

It is joined by the National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF), the British Association of Beauty Therapists and Cosmetologists (BABTAC) and the UK Spa Association.

Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council, said: “For businesses to reopen they need money.

“Around two-thirds of our salons have run out of cash reserves and are in debt, while half of our business owners have been forced to use up their personal savings over the past few months.”

According to the British Beauty Council, full time employment in the beauty industry is down 21 per cent on 2019 levels.

It added that many businesses incurred significant costs trying to comply with Covid-19 regulations when lockdown was eased last summer.

Ms Kendall said: “Without Government financial support, many salons will simply not be able to reopen and many will be forced to stay shut.”

In its 60-page strategy for the lifting of lockdown, the Government noted that the beauty and personal industry was worth £21.1 billion to the UK economy in 2019 – almost as much as pubs.

The sector accounted for 566,000 jobs, 85 per cent of which were held by women.