Hampshire garden centres prepare for reopening as UK's lockdown measures are eased

Following the prime minister’s televised address on Sunday evening, garden centres are permitted to open their doors once again, as of tomorrow.

Now, preparations are underway at garden centres across the Portsmouth region.

Garsons in Titchfield and Dobbies in Havant are both confirmed to be reopening tomorrow, with others expected to follow in the coming days.

Dobbies, which has 54 stores in the country, will have a queueing system, hand sanitising and trolley cleaning stations – though the restaurants and play areas will remain closed.

CEO Graeme Jenkins said: ‘Our team is well prepared, social distancing measures are in place and we look forward to welcoming customers back into our stores in Hampshire and across England.

'I would like to thank our team members and customers for their understanding during these uncertain times.’

Garsons will also reopen with safety measures in place.

Director Ben Thompson said: ‘We are following government advice and taking every precaution to keep our customers and staff safe, including limiting the number of shoppers in the store at any one time.

‘People are keen to get out in their gardens and we’re going to do our best to supply them with everything they need, but we do expect to be busy, so would ask people to be prepared for a wait at peak times.’

Mr Thompson added that the restaurant, toilets, changing rooms and children’s playground will remain closed until further notice.

But not all garden centres seem prepared to reopen.

Keydell Nurseries in Horndean has not yet announced plans to open its doors to the general public.

In a recent post on social media, a statement to customers read: ‘We hope to reopen soon as we miss seeing our customers in store, but the health of our staff and customers is our priority currently in these uncertain times.

‘The click and collect service is still currently running.’