However, the pub giant will keep some of the current safety measures, such as screens between tables and hand sanitiser stations.

The limit of groups of six will no longer apply, and the test and trace system will be performed on a voluntary basis.

Wetherspoons’ founder, Tim Martin, said: “When pubs reopened after the first lockdown, in July last year, a sensible set of measures were agreed between the hospitality industry, the health authorities and other interested parties – and kept transmission in hospitality venues at low levels.

“While risks from COVID-19 cannot be eliminated completely, we believe that the July 2020 guidelines are a sensible backstop for the industry and strike a fair balance between health, employment and the economy.”