THE Dorset-based operator of some of the world’s biggest visitor attractions is among the businesses calling on the government to stick to the current plan for easing lockdown.

Poole-based Merlin Entertainments joined restaurant and pub companies in urging Boris Johnson not to let the current approach be “derailed” by talk of vaccine passports.

Merlin – which runs Alton Towers, Legoland theme parks, Madame Tussauds and the Blackpool Tower among others – was among the companies whose bosses signed an open letter to the prime minister, published in the Sunday Telegraph. Other signatories included the chief executives of the Restaurant Group, JD Wetherspoon, Pizza Hut and Fuller’s.

The government currently hopes to reopen indoor hospitality on May 17, with all social distancing in hospitality set to be lifted no earlier than June 21.

Merlin Entertainments attractions like Legoland and Alton Towers 'should reopen with shops'

Ministers are also looking at the potential of using vaccine “passports” to help ensure the safe reopening of hospitality.

The letter says: “We must be driven by data not dates – and the data say it is safe to confirm now the reopening of indoor hospitality on May 17 and the lifting of all social-distancing restrictions on hospitality on June 21.

“This is vital as government support for hospitality tapers away then, and without it many businesses will be unviable.”

The letter said two-thirds of venues were not able to reopen when outdoor hospitality was permitted last week, and that none are breaking even.

Merlin Entertainments to stay in Poole after £5.9bn takeover

Merlin Entertainments, based at Link House in West Street, Poole, is the world’s second largest operator of visitor attractions. It was taken into private hands in 2019, in a £5.9billion takeover by the owners of Lego, a private equity giant and a Canadian pension fund.