Almost a quarter of bars, pubs and clubs have yet to reopen after being blocked

Data show’s that a little more than three quarters (76.3%) of websites have been returning to circulation since allowing the sector to operate at the beginning of July.

Restaurants had to close their doors in March but will be allowed to meet customers starting July 4th.

Pubs were re-open faster than restaurants after the closure with nine out of ten pubs open at the end of August (94.0% of those) and communal pubs (89.4%).

Karl Chessell, director of grocery and retail at the CGA, said: "After the sector's toughest ever spring and early summer, it is pleasing to see more than 15.500 venues reopened over August but concerning that nearly one in four licensed premises are still shut.

And opening is also significantly slower in other segments of the market: two thirds (67.2%) of the bars and slightly more than half (54.8%) of the licensed public and sports venues have reopened, both being constrained by social distance and other precaution measures in the context of coronavirus.

Meanwhile last Friday the Coffer Peach Business Tracker said that restaurateurs' activity remained flat in August after a strong recovery last year through Eat Out to helps you out.

Casual dining restaurants are returning more slowly but the government's "Eat Out to Help Out" program and the reduction in VAT encouraged many to open again in August and more than four out of every five restaurants (83.8%) are trading - a rise of 20 percentage points compared with July.