A BUSINESS owner says he is “relieved” to be open again as the city emerges from a four-week lockdown and into new tier restrictions.

As the clock hit midnight on Tuesday, Brighton and Hove entered the second-highest coronavirus tier restrictions.

Non-essential businesses that were forced to close their doors for four weeks were given the green light reopen, just weeks before Christmas.

A steady stream of shoppers milled around some of the city’s main shopping areas, including Western Road, North Street and Churchill Square shopping centre.

However, crowds of eager shoppers queuing to enter stores, as witnessed on the eve of the second national lockdown, were nowhere to be seen.

One shopper told The Argus that he was “surprised” the town was not busier but expected the weekend to be “chaos”.

Marc Samuels, who owns Marc in the Lanes in Meeting House Lane,said he was glad to be open once again.

He said: “I am hopeful that the weekend will be busy. But I am not saying to myself that the weekend will be busy.

“It was horrendous for four weeks. The difference fundamentally for myself was that I am one of the businesses that fall through the gap.

“Obviously we are glad to reopen. It would be a massive boost if they considered completely free parking on Sunday and subsidise parking for the rest of December, to encourage people to shop.

“Anyone confident to come out doesn’t want to park in The Lanes and hit with a £25 parking fee.

“Everything in Brighton is independent so the whole of the city has been hit.”

Under Tier 2 restrictions, meeting people from other households remains outlawed in indoor settings, unless they are in your household’s support bubble.

People may now meet in groups of up to six in outdoor spaces, including public areas such as beaches and parks, as well as private gardens.

Non-essential shops are allowed to open but hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with a substantial meal.

Tom, from Brighton, was one of the shoppers out making the most of the rules and said he was “expecting” it to be more chaotic.

He said: “It definitely isn’t as busy as I expected it to be. I was definitely expecting it to be more chaotic, more like shopping on Christmas Eve but it is still early.”

“The new rules aren’t ideal but it is there for a reason. It makes sense to have come from a full lockdown to Tier two and we will male our way back to Tier one. “