CREWE'S pub scene tentatively emerged from its three-month hibernation on "Super Saturday".

Along with hair salons and some cafes and restaurants the town centre began to hum with life again, but it was strictly low key under the shadow of Covid and some doors remained firmly shut.

Table booking, hand sanitisation stations, visors and the use of a contract tracing system were all in evidence in those venues opening up again.

At The Express the system appeared well marshalled. A one-way route around the Mill Street pub and out into its beer garden was well observed. Drinkers were asked to input their personal details (name/contact phone) via the Pubtrace app on their phones; those without smart technology made do with paper and pen.

There was warmth in the welcome and you could see it was well appreciated by customers who were happy to sit on their allocated tables. Perhaps no surprise as landlady Annette Price and her partner have been keeping her clientiele entertained during lockdown by hosting weekly Facebook Live singalongs.

Around the corner the Blind Beggar also was back in business, while the Imp on Edleston Road appeared to be doing decent trade as drinkers were being turned away by door staff with capacity reached - understood to be 30 if the guidelines on gov.com are being followed.

The full to capacity notice was also pinned on the British Lion aka the Pig much to the disappointment of one punter who had popped out for his tea.

Other doors at some of Crewe's established drinking haunts in and around Nantwich Road such as The Cheshire Inn and Brunswick were also open, but the Corner Bar at the Royal Hotel was shuttered.

As was the Cheese Hall in town, which says it is working hard to make the pub "safe" to open again. The Grand Junction may have looked shut to the casual observer, but drinkers around the back veranda on Lyceum Square stressed that a "magic tap" on the front door of the Market Centre hostelry was all that was needed to secure entry.

Drinkers will have to wait for The Hops to work out how to accommodate social distancing in their snug layout - the Belgian bar on Prince Albert Street remains closed, but for those with a taste for real ale and European lagers the Borough Arms was open.

At the Hops a statement said: "We're going to have to have a reshuffle to make opening up again viable. We're going to play things safe for everyone's benefit and open up when we're happy everyone is as safe as feasibly possible."

Elsewhere, the Woodside on Valley Road is reopening on Monday, although its restaurant has been doing a delivery service for some time. Up in Coppenhall the Horse Shoe was open and the Elephant in Shavington was taking bookings.

Other Crewe pubs throwing their doors open today included The Eight farmers on Parkers Road, The Hop Pole on Wistaston Road, The Wolverton Arms on West Street, and in town the Duke of Bridgewater and the Kings Arms under new ownership were also open.

Rookery Wood is another waiting until Monday.

Each pub is responsible for ensuring it passes the guidelines to be "Covid-secure", which include taking table orders rather than allowing people at the bar, operating a booking-only policy and ensuring people are sat at least a metre apart.

But there is no blanket policy and if you are unsure it is best to ring a specific pub or check out their website. Remember, though, if you are spending time in a pub – and not outdoors – you should only meet with people in your household and one other household at at time.