Fast food chain McDonald's has confirmed that its restaurant in Congleton will reopen for drive thru service next week.

The chain announced today (27 May) that by Thursday 4 June more than 1,000 of its restaurants will have reopened either for drive thru or McDelivery.

The Congleton branch will reopen between Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June, as part of all drive thrus across the UK and Ireland reopening during this time, according to a McDonald's spokesperson.

The spokesperson said: "This is only possible following the hard work of the teams in our 44 pilot restaurants.

"Over the last fortnight, our employees, franchisees and suppliers have worked tirelessly to implement new procedures to enable safe working so that we can now help all parts of the UK and Ireland to enjoy the return of the Big Mac.

"With fewer employees working in our kitchens and service areas, our teams will still need your patience and support as they continue to adjust to the new ways of working.

"Face coverings, gloves, Perspex screens, and new safety and hygiene processes mean it will look different, it will take a little longer and as we have seen in the pilot restaurants, we expect demand will be high. Please bear with us, we will continue to put our people first – their safety is our priority.

"In the last week, on occasion, we have taken the decision to close drive thru lanes where demand has impacted local communities or the safety of our people or customers.

"We will continue to work with local authorities and the police as we extend our reopening plans. With smaller teams, we will still be offering a limited menu over reduced hours, and we ask that you make contactless payments and limit your spend to £25.

"We are continuing to review these measures as we reopen, but for now, these restrictions remain in place to help our employees, customers and delivery partner couriers to remain safe."

To manage the anticipated demand, McDonald's will release the locations of the reopening restaurants on the morning of each day.

Safety measures being put in place include:

- Capped spend in drive thrus at £25 per car and customers are encouraged to pay by contactless payment methods wherever possible.

- Perspex screens at drive thru windows and employees wearing protective equipment, as well as Perspex screens and floor markings in specific areas in the restaurant and kitchen.

- All McDonald's employees will be asked to confirm they are fit and able to work, and the company will use contactless thermometers with temperatures taken on arrival at work for every shift.

- Social distancing has been introduced in the kitchens and service areas to help create a safe working environment for restaurant teams.

- Restaurants will return with smaller teams, offering a limited menu.