A leading hairdresser has said that authorities should look at the number of black market haircuts going on and consider a quicker reopening of the industry.

Speaking to Newstalk today, Letterkenny salon owner Patrick Gildea said that despite Level 5 rules stating that hairdressers should be closed, "we have a massive amount of haircutting going on in society.” He added that this should be seen as "signal and a sign maybe for the people who are making the decisions for the industry to open up.” It's thought that the Government is planning on reopening salons in May on a staggered basis, perhaps allowing access for those who have been fully vaccinated before anyone else, and Patrick agreed with this proposal. However, we would like to see doors reopen sooner than planned, saying "we feel we have a part to play in supporting them and maybe getting the salons back open a little bit earlier to get these back into society, having their hair done and getting them back out again. So, it is about us playing our part and making them feel well as well.” A limited number of Covid-19 restrictions were eased today and the Government has said that they will look at lifting other measures in May, depending on the situation at the time. READ NEXT: Leinster Rugby submit plans to host 2,000 supporters as early as next month