Primark Shoppers Queue Round The Block For Reopening As Lockdown Eases

Lockdown is beginning to ease once again, which for many people means one thing: shopping.

The whole country is hankering to get back into bustling stores, but no more so than the select few who headed to their local Primark in the early hours of the morning on Monday, and began queuing to get in before work.

We saw it after the last lockdown came to and end, so it shouldn't be any surprise that the same is happening again.

Pictures from Primark stores up and down the country show packs of eager customers outside waiting to shop before 7am, despite the freezing cold weather, and even snow in some areas of the country.

The Oxford Street branch opened its London doors at 7am - earlier than normal - and plans to stay open until 10pm to satisfy the huge crowds. These timings will stay in place all of this week, apart from Sunday, where it is set to open between midday and 6pm.

Meanwhile, other stores that saw crowds include the Birmingham branch, Cardiffl's Primark and the Lakeside store in Essex, all of which had strict social distancing measures in place to manage the queues.

In Liverpool and Cornwall, the Primark stores was actually forced to open early as huge crowds gathered, to keep the number of shoppers in check. Liverpool's Primark was up and running by 6:50am, while Cornwall's opened its doors at 6.55am.

Explaining why they had headed down so early, one shopper told Cornwall Live: "I was hoping to beat the crowds but it doesn't seem like that's gonna work."

It wasn't just Primark stores that had masses of people outside, with local newspapers also reporting commotions across several other non-essential stores, like Zara and H&M.

It comes as shops, hairdressers, nail salons, libraries and outdoor hospitality venues (like pub gardens) are allowed to open today, for the first time since December.

Outdoor attractions, such as theme parks and zoos, can open their doors too, with strict social distancing rules in place.

Meanwhile, indoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, can also now be used, but only by people from the same household or bubble.

The rules also stipulate that funerals can now go ahead with up to 30 people in attendance, while the number able to attend weddings and receptions now sits at 15.

After months without browsing clothing aisles and bagging any bargains, it's no wonder a lot of people are ready for a bit of a shop...

Although, we're got to credit their dedication, getting up this early to do it!