Nichola Carroll
BBC London

Shoppers started lining up to get into Primark in Bromley from first thing this morning.

Among those were locals Katie and Amelia. They said they were happy to queue for 90 minutes, although after that they would consider leaving.

"I have really missed shopping. I’ve spent too much online. This one sells everything and I’m due to be moving house so hoping to get some bits," Katie said.

Amelia said she did not expect them to take long once they were inside as they wouldn't be able to try any clothes on.

Rob England
BBC News

Image source, PA Media

Ricky Young, who turned out to buy trainers at Nike Town on Oxford Street this morning, said the trip felt like a return to some kind of normality.

The London store saw long queues as non-essential retailers opened up across England this morning.

Asked if he expected it to be busy, the 38-year-old plasterer said: "No, I actually thought people might have been sleeping or didn't want to go out.

"But the doors are open again, it's back to almost normal, back to business - but we just have to line up."

Here are some of the scenes from across England as shops reopened with social distancing measures in place. You can see our gallery here.

Image source, Alamy Live News

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Alamy Live News

Queues died down after the opening at Birmingham's Primark store but had built back up to around 50 people by mid-morning.

All non-essential retailers in England were able to open from this morning, if they followed government guidelines.

A female shopper who had spent almost two hours in the store with her daughter said it had been "a delight" to return to the city centre shop.

Image source, PA Media

The woman, from Birmingham, said: "There was a very large queue because of the social distancing but if you want something you have got to queue.

"It took a long time but I bought a lot of dresses, nightwear and bras. I have missed it a lot and I'm really happy."

Some customers had fashioned makeshift face coverings from bandannas while a handful of others queued wearing medical-style visors.

Charlie Rose
Reporter, BBC South East Today

If East Grinstead in West Sussex is home to large numbers of ardent high street shoppers, I didn’t see them out and about in the town centre this morning, as many non-essential shops opened for the first time since March.

Perhaps residents need time to get used to the idea of relaxing lockdown measures. Some of those who did venture out wore face masks, while others said they were thankful for the chance to practice some retail therapy.

One woman who had recently been to Holland where she says restrictions have already been eased, told me she was surprised there weren’t more queues outside shops here.

In fact, the only real lines of people could be found outside banks which have been allowed to stay open throughout the lockdown.

Further down the street, shoppers appeared to be relishing the opportunity to grab some discount footwear at Shoezone, where some were gathering outside waiting to browse the baskets and shelves.

But elsewhere there are serious concerns about safety. One shop manager told me that while reopening is good for business, he’s worried customers aren’t observing the one-way systems in shops, and fears he or his staff may end up catching the virus.

With more shops opened up across England today, a poll has suggested that less than half of Britons feel comfortable returning to clothes retailers.

Results of YouGov polling carried out earlier this month suggested just 40% of people were comfortable to go back into such stores and only 48% think they would be able to stay the required two metres away from other shoppers.

Forty-one per cent of people said they believe it is the right time for the shops to reopen but 39% said it was too soon.

Image source, PA Media

Oliver Rowe, director of reputation research at YouGov, said: "Half of Brits say that they're uncomfortable returning to pubs, restaurants and clothing shops, and large portions of the public are unsure they could adequately socially distance once inside.

"When split by gender, the concern is highest amongst women, who said they were more uncomfortable than men, sometimes by large margins, about returning to all outlets put to them by YouGov."

"There's clearly more for business and the Government to do if they're going to entice shoppers back to the high street but it's tough to see how they do that while the dual health and economic uncertainty remains in people's minds."

People queuing for the Apple store on Regent Street in London had their temperature checked by staff before they were allowed to enter.

Masks were also handed out with customers told they had to wear face coverings to come inside.

One woman had been queuing to get inside from 07:00.

Image source, Reuters

Another in the line was Kristina Taylor, who works in finance, who was hoping to have her iPhone screen protector replaced as "it's just something that has been niggling me since day one".

Asked if she was pleased about shops reopening, the 40-year-old said: "Yes and no. I will pop by Primark to see the queue.

"But I'm not keen on all of this queuing, it makes me think twice about whether I need something from that shop."

Image source, PA Media

Although the world is a different place to before coronavirus, this shouldn't stop people in England from going out to shop, according to a government minister.

In a bid to reassure would be shoppers, small business minister Paul Scully insisted it was "safe to shop".

"The high street is going to be a different place to what it was before, with the one-way systems, with the hand sanitisers, and with people not trying clothes on in the same way," Mr Scully said.

"But, nonetheless, it is safe to shop. I would encourage people to be sensible, work with the people in the shop but do go out and shop, and start opening our economy gradually and carefully."

Designer men's clothing retailer Brother2Brother has reopened its Reading store for the first time since March.

Buying director Steven Hall said the shopping experience might be different from what customers are used to - with staff provided with PPE and a limit of six customers at a time.

In addition to "cleaning of counters after every purchase [and] cleaning of the changing rooms after use... we will also have to quarantine the goods for at least 24 hours before they are put back into circulation".

He added that customers will be encouraged to try things on at home and return them where possible and "pretty much everything" will be given a sale price as the company looks to shift its seasonal stock.

One way the store is attempting to drum up business is by letting customers book 30-minute slots, allowing staff to prepare a selection of items suited to their tastes.

"If we don't try to innovate and make sure business can operate at some sort of level we probably wouldn't be here for very long," Mr Hall said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that "people should shop, and shop with confidence" when non-essential stores reopen in England on Monday.

But he urged shoppers to observe social distancing rules.

He added that it's important to see a "gradual build-up" of people to ensure safety.

Stewart Whittingham
Reporter, BBC News Online

A junior doctor who treated coronavirus patients said she wanted to go shopping "to do something normal".

Maddie Baxter, 24, has been working on a Covid-19 ward at Wirral's Arrowe Park Hospital, where the first British evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan were taken to be quarantined.

Today she queued for more than 30 minutes with her boyfriend Oliver McPheely, 25, as shoppers were let into Selfridges in Manchester.

The couple only moved into a flat together in Ancoats yesterday after spending lockdown apart.

Ms Baxter said: "The ward was pretty crazy for about four weeks as coronavirus patients came in.

"It calmed down a bit after that."

She added: "It's lovely to come shopping to do something normal after everything that's happened.

"I have missed coming to the shops to browse."

Laurence Cawley
BBC News

As shop staff return to work today and customers queue to get inside the previously-closed stores, we spoke to commuters and shoppers taking the trains under new rules which make wearing a face mask compulsory.

At Colchester North railway station in Essex commuters arrived already wearing their masks - either shop-bought, homemade or in one case a T-shirt wrapped around the head.

• Read the full story here

As many shops welcome customers in England for the first time since March, retailers in Cumbria have been reflecting on the measures they've introduced to reopen safely during coronavirus.

In shopping centres like the Lanes in Carlisle and Dunmail Park shopping centre in Workington, the malls have been carefully prepared so shoppers will be guided into the new ways of retail.

Phillipa Ball, who runs the business improvement district project in Penrith, says smaller shops have learned from the supermarkets that have been open throughout the pandemic.

The government is under pressure to relax the 2m social distancing rule - but is it safe to do so?

Find out more here.

Image source, LDRS

A branch of Sports Direct was closed by police after it opened a day before non-essential shops were allowed to.

The shop in Scarborough opened at 11:00 BST on Sunday for people with NHS identificaton and a large queue formed.

North Yorkshire Police said officers stepped in after they became aware the store opened ahead of the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, which let clothing stores open again from Monday.

The BBC has approached Sports Direct for comment.

Rob England
BBC News

As non-essential retailers reopen across England, questions remain about how shoppers will access toilets as restaurants are still shut and many public facilities remain closed.

The government has urged councils to open public toilets "wherever possible", and while many have plans in place, there are also areas where facilities will not be available.

Image source, Getty Images

Some councils we've heard from on this are:

• Birmingham - where toilets will not open until next month
• Liverpool - where a "limited number" of public loos are available
• Westminster - where all facilities excluding Broadwick Street and Soho are open
• York - where all facilities are open

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "Councils will be taking individual local decisions about public toilets based on a risk assessment and whether social distancing measures can be maintained."

Rob England
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Retailers have been debating the best way to enable shoppers to browse products, while maintaining heightened standards of cleanliness during the coronavirus pandemic.

Major bookstore Waterstones has pledged to isolate thumbed-through publications for 72 hours, but Doug Putman, owner of HMV, says this is impractical.

The Waterstones plan, external sees the use of "browsing trollies", usually placed beside the tills, where customers can set down a book they have leafed through but decided not to buy. Those items will then be stored away for three days "until any threat from coronavirus transmission has been eliminated", Waterstones said. Hand sanitiser is also available.

Image source, waterstones

But Mr Putman said: "You can't watch every person in the store, unless you have a personal shopper with each person.

"I think...in our opinion, the better way is to really ask customers to practice super-safe hygiene, to make sure that they're sanitising when they're touching. To us, we think that's the more realistic way to do it."

HMV customers will be invited to sanitise their hands when they enter any of its 93 stores in England, and it will be "mandatory" to sanitise when flicking through the A to Z section, Mr Putman said.

BBC Breakfast

Retail analyst Kate Hardcastle told BBC Breakfast this morning that non-essential shops will face "the biggest battle retail has ever faced" after opening for the first time since lockdown began.

She suggested appetites for in-store shopping may have "dipped" since late March, with many people having to moving online.

After almost three months of lockdown, non-essential shops in Liverpool One shopping centre have reopened.

Fifty stores are trading again from today and social distancing measures are in place.

Visitors are asked to keep the left of walkways and "take your time" to "avoid bumping into anyone".

Escalators, hand rails and toilets will be "sanitised" every hour, Liverpool One said on its website., external

There is still no date for when restaurants can fully trade again.

A shopper dressed in full PPE to go shopping at Primark.

The customer was spotted in a full plastic suit, hat, face mask and gloves before entering the Birmingham store.

Image source, PA Media