DRIVERS have flocked to McDonald's outlets across Gwent as they reopened for the first time in two months.

Queues for the McDonald's on the roundabout off the A4042 at Pontypool were so long yesterday that the dual carriageway was reduced to a single lane for hundreds of metres either side of the entrance due to queuing traffic.

Drive Thrus across Wales and much of the UK have experienced consistently long queues yesterday and today, and as the photo from Pontypool clearly shows, the term 'fast food' was for once, misplaced.

Four Gwent McDonald's Drive Thrus opened on Tuesday and the remainder this morning, with contactless payment, spending limits and a reduced menu being universal.

Perspex screens at Drive Thru windows and protective equipment for employees have been introduced by the company, along with strict hand washing and cleaning protocols.

All employees are being asked to confirm they are fit and able to work, and their temperatures are being taken with contactless thermometers on arrival at work for every shift.

While the queues were not so long for sites in Newport and Rogerstone, they were doing a brisk trade, and waits of 30-45 minutes were common.

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At the McDonald's off Cardiff Road in Newport this lunchtime, plenty of people were prepared to queue for a meal, and the restaurant's proximity to the Tesco petrol station meant precautions had to be taken.

Staff were stationed on the entrance road - which skirts the petrol station forecourt - to ensure that those filling up had space to leave, and at times the queue meant that motorists had to wait to get their petrol.

One of these duty staff, asked if the McDonald's queue had been busy all day, nodded, shrugged and rolled his eyes.

The two-lane approach road is also shared with that to the Tesco store at Harlech Retail Park, and there were a few near-misses as impatient drivers pulled out of the McDonald's queue to turn around at the roundabout.

One passer-by, clutching two shopping bags, watched as the queue grew longer, and his comment was succinct.

"Bloody ridiculous," he said, before shuffling away.