A hairdressing company is extending its hours until 11pm to cope with a huge waiting list after taking thousands of bookings for the coming weeks.

Blue Tit, which has a number of salons across London, will split its staff into two shifts, from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week, when it opens on Saturday for the first time since having to close in March because of the coronavirus lockdown.

We opened a waiting list a few weeks ago and now have 4,500 people signed up, with bookings up to mid-August

Customers will have to wear masks, while staff will have visors and one dedicated workstation.

Company director Matt Gebbie said customers were planning to spend more money on their hair after waiting months for an appointment.

“We opened a waiting list a few weeks ago and now have 4,500 people signed up, with bookings up to mid-August,” he told the PA news agency.

“We celebrated our ninth anniversary as a company during the lockdown so we can’t wait to reopen.”

An extra 15 minutes will be allowed between each appointment to give clients time to pay and leave, and for equipment to be cleaned.