HEREFORDSHIRE diners were happy to pick up the bill last week, as spending in restaurants rose when diners were allowed indoors.

Banking firm Revolut analysed the data of its 9,000 customers in Herefordshire in the seven days to May 23, as they sat down inside restaurants and cafes for the first time this year.

Diners spent 50% more over this period than they did the previous week when only outdoor dining was permitted, with one bill coming to a hefty £453.19.

However, spending was still 13% below a normal week in February last year before the pandemic began.

Spending in restaurants and cafes across Great Britain saw a larger fall, of 41%.

Despite reopening, many establishments will be unable to have a full house until June 21, when all legal limits on social contact are due to be lifted in England.

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it is too early to say whether the easing of all restrictions will still go ahead as planned.

Last week also saw the reopening of many indoor entertainment and cultural venues, including museums, theatres and cinemas – though they too are operating at reduced capacity.

The UK Cinema Association said the opening weekend was the first to see more than a million admissions since March 2020.

Phil Clapp, chief executive, said: "Only around three-quarters of UK cinema sites are now open, with many smaller sites not able to do so viably given the limits that social distancing requirements impose on available capacity.

"The extraordinary number of sold out screenings reported last weekend makes it self-evident that the sooner those restrictions are safe to relax, then the quicker the full recovery of the sector can happen."

Revolut data shows that spending on cultural activities such as cinema trips between May 17-23 was 68% below a normal pre-pandemic week in Britain.

In Herefordshire, spending was 57% down, with 25-34 year-old men the biggest spenders in the area.

Overall, Herefordshire residents spent slightly more on all activities over this period than they did the week before, including a 26% rise on transport expenditure.