Four Starbucks stores in Suffolk and one in Colchester are among the first in the UK to reopen after the Covid-19 lockdown.

The global chain of coffee shops reopened 150 of its stores across the UK for drive-thru and delivery.

Among them were the stores in West End Road in Ipswich, Belvedere Road in Lowestoft, Enterprise Park in Bury St Edmunds and Stane Park in Colchester.

The Starbucks at RAF Lakenheath is also set to reopen.

The stores will open with a full drinks menu but will be only be offering a limited food menu at this time.

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To keep the customers and staff safe, the stores will be following government social distancing guidance.

This includes increased cleaning regimes, glass screens at pay points and only accepting contactless payments.

All drinks will be served in paper cups.

The stores will be offering free tall drinks to NHS workers.

Alex Rayner, general manager of Starbucks UK, said: “We are proud to be back serving our communities with the phased reopening of our stores, starting with drive thru and a handful of stores for takeaway only.

“Although our stores will look and feel a bit different with social distancing measures, glass screens and upweighted cleaning procedures in place, the role coffee plays in creating connection and community hasn’t changed.

“Now, more than ever, having something familiar is incredibly important.”