Salon owners across Suffolk are preparing to reopen in July – with some already completely booked out for their first week.

Loose Ends, a unisex salon in Needham Market, is planning to reopen on July 4, the earliest date that the government has suggested hairdressers and barbers could be open.

Bosses at big salon chains such as Toni & Guy – which has stores in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich – said they are also planning to open next month.

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Rebecca Folkard, the salons owner, said: “At the moment they’re saying July 4 is the earliest we can open, so unless anything changes that is when we will open.

She said the salon would be operating with measures in place to protect staff and customers.

“We’ll be allowing 15 minutes after every client to sanitise the whole area and clean all of the tools used,” she said. “We’ll be in disposable aprons which will be changed after every client. We’ll all be wearing masks, and gloves when we can. All the customers will be issued with hand sanitiser and masks as they walk through the door.

“We’re going to be opening longer hours and we’ll be open seven days a week to try and get the same amount of customers through the door because each client will take longer.

“There will be a lot less footfall through the door in a day and we’ll have less staff in at a time so that we can social distance.”

The salon is likely to be busy when it reopens: “We’ve had a lot of calls, but we’re trying to get in touch with our regular customers and get them booked in, in a fair manner.

“The first week we’re planning to open is fully booked, but we’re trying not to overbook at the moment in case the date is put back or anything.”