THE boss of one of the district's best-loved and successful curry restaurants said he "can't wait" to welcome back customers from Monday.

Shimla Spice will reopen to diners tomorrow after months of being closed and only able to offer takeaway dishes.

The award-winning restaurant group has sites in Keighley and Shipley - as well as in Burnley - and is one of the most popular restaurants in the district.

From Monday, restaurants and pubs can reopen for indoor service, with tables limited to six people or two households.

May 17's step three of the roadmap sees indoor socialising return for the first time in months, as normality draws a step closer.

Faisal Hussain, manager of Shimla Spice in Keighley, said he was looking forward to welcoming customers back into the restaurant.

He said: “We’ve been preparing for about a week getting everything ready and informing customers we will be back open.

“It’s going to be brilliant to be back open. We’ve been able to do takeaway deliveries and collections but it’s not the same.

“We’ve had a real surge in table bookings for the weekend and through the week and are trying to accommodate people as best we can.

“Because we have been doing a lot of takeaways business wise we have been really busy, but nothing compares to the customer dining experience.

“When people come to our restaurant it’s a social evening for them and without our customers being here it’s not been the same, so we can’t wait to get back open."

Last year the restaurant had to invest in more hygiene equipment to keep diners safe during their visit, and this high level of cleanliness remains at the group.

“We have hand sanitising stations throughout the restaurant and our tables are spread out to make sure people can socially distance," Mr Hussain added.

“After every group of diners is finished we give that space a thorough clean and leave the table for 15 minutes, and then at the end of each day we will undertaken a deep clean of the entire restaurant.”