A BASINGSTOKE nightclub reopened last night after closing its dance floor and operating instead as a bar.

Fever and Boutique, in Winchester Street, at the Top of Town, has been shut since March when lockdown measures were announced, and was facing an uncertain future as to when it would be allowed to reopen, with nightclubs still told to remain closed.

However, bosses have worked to reopen the venue as a bar instead, closing the dancefloor and operating full table service.

A long queue formed outside the Basingstoke venue last night as revellers were keen to return to the popular nightspot on its first day back in business.

A spokesperson for Fever told the Gazette: “Following carefully planning and risk assessment we are now opening a number of Fever venues across the country. Our first priority is the safety of our staff and customers and additional training and safety measures have been put in place throughout the brands.”

The spokesperson said “clear social distancing measures” had been introduced along with “enhanced cleaning regimes” and table service.

They added: “We have temporarily closed our dance floors to make space for more tables. There will be no live DJ sets, instead we will be streaming pre-recorded DJ sets at more ambient sound levels. Single use menus, contactless payments, and hand sanitiser stations compliment the revised layout of our venues.

“We advise customers to book as we will have reduced capacity and please keep an eye on our social media pages to check our trading hours.”