Northampton's Pizza Express will reopen next month

The PizzaExpress restaurant in Northampton town centre is one of 118 announced to be reopening next month.

The restaurant chain has revealed plans to open a third of its sites across the country on April 12 for outdoor dining only when Covid-19 restrictions for eating out change.

In a statement released on Thursday (March 18), managing director Zoe Bowley said: "We’ve really missed buzz and bustle and seeing our customers enjoying their favourite pizza.

"Our Cook At Home range and Click & Collect and Delivery services have been immensely popular during the past few months, but we can’t wait to fire up our ovens and swing open our doors again.

"Whether you book or simply walk-in, our teams will be happily serving our delicious range of pizzas in our gardens and terraces throughout England and we’ll be ready to open in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland as soon as their national restrictions end.

"Of course, we’re set to reopen all of our restaurants in England in May for both indoor and outdoor dining," she said.

The restaurant was one of those spared in September after creditors have approved a rescue deal for the company.