PUB-GOERS and shoppers flocked to a seaside town yesterday as businesses opened their doors for the first time this year.

Despite the cold weather, businesses at Seaham welcomed shoppers back with open arms after a tough year due to the coronavirus crisis.

One business eager to start trading was Karan’s Florist, on Church Street.

Owner Karan Batey, has run the business for more than three decades and said the community has been extremely supportive during the pandemic.

She said: "Opening today has felt like a victory lap. The response from the Seaham community has been amazing, it's definitely time everything opens up.

"While we were getting the shop ready it was strange seeing people walking nearby but it was really exciting. We've really missed interacting with people and it's just nice to be open again."

Although the cold weather put many off wanting a beverage in the sun, residents were ready to see shops reopen and the seafront return to normal.

Sam Cairns, 42, of Durham city regularly walks his two dogs Lola and Ronnie by the sea and said it was the right time to lift the lockdown.

He said: "We walk our dogs here all the time and it is always fairly busy. I'm glad things have started opening back up again but I just hope people are safe and take precautions as the last thing we need is another lockdown. I was expecting it to be a lot busier to be honest so it's a good sign people are being responsible. There's only a couple of the bars with seating outside and I think most of the people here are walking dogs because it's a bit cold to sit outside and drink or shop.

"People were getting to the point where lockdown was impacting their mental health so I think it's definitely the right time to start lifting restrictions. I think the new measures will bring hope to people struggling and fingers crossed we are at the tail end of it."

Another dog walker Beka Lee, 28, agreed, she said: "Lifting the measures has come at a critical time as people are now getting frustrated with the system.  There is bound to be a small spike as it is the most mingling we've done this year but people need it for their mental health. They need to see their friends and have some human contact. There's still a lot of places closed however because they don't have outside space."