Once again Basingstoke has been left off the list of places where McDonald's will reopen its doors.

Earlier this month the Gazette reported how the town was not a part of the fast-food chain's first 15 stores to reopen for drive-thru.

But then last week a glimmer of hope was given to fans of the golden arches.

McDonald's announced that its aim was to open all drive-thru outlets across the UK and Ireland by early June.

Making that announcement, it added that a further 39 drive-thru stores would soon be open for business.

But when the list was revealed Wednesday morning, Basingstoke was a noticeable absence.

"Today we are reopening 39 drive-thru lanes at restaurants across the South Eat of England and in Dublin as we continue to test our plans for reopening," McDonald's said.

"Our teams are still adjusting to the new procedures we've introduced to enable safe working and social distancing, so things might take a little longer.

"We expect a high demand across all locations. We are working closely with local authorities and we may determine that it is necessary to close our drive-thru lanes if queues cause disruption or put our employees or customers at risk.

Among the list of stores reopening are six in Peterborough and three in Ipswich.