Non-essential chains and independent businesses have been given the green light to open next month, but people in Watford have mixed opinions about returning to the shops.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed non-essential shops in England can reopen from June 15 after he shuttered them with the lockdown on March 23.

However, ministers have stressed the date could change if reductions in coronavirus infections fail to meet expectations and the experience will be very different.

intu has already announced its plans to slowly open-up stores in its Watford centre, which includes limiting the amount of people and cars in the centre at a time.

The shopping centre giant also outlined plans about closing some parking bays and other measures such as a one-way system and floor stickers.

Read more here - intu Watford unveils plans to reopen non-essential stores in June

Ahead of non-essential businesses opening on June 15, people in Watford have had their say on if they will return to the shops.

One cyclist said: “I don’t have any urgency to be in the shops as I feel they will be heaving for the first few weeks. I think everyone is going to be like ‘oh shops are open - enter open panic mode’.”

“Of course lots of people will be outside, so I’ll stick to online for safety reasons when non-essential shops reopen again.

“I will be sensible about returning to shops and I will take it as it comes.”

However, another person in the town said they were keen to get back to physical shopping.

Watford Observer:

He said: “I’ll definitely be going back to the shops when they open. I personally would prefer being at the shops to get what I want.

“I personally find it a bit inconvenient to shop online and waiting for deliveries. I just want to go in and get what I want and get out.”

Meanwhile, one person said they would also be returning to the shops, but only in a “selective way”.

He said: “Because of coronavirus I think it would be safer to shop online rather than heading back out to shops.

“I would like to try and avoid them if I can.”

Ahead of non-essential shops reopening, minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove said shoppers would need to “exercise restraint” by not trying on clothing and testing goods ahead of purchase.

He told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday: “It’s also the case that we need to ensure that some of the shopping habits people may have grown used to in the pre-Covid days are habits that we exercise a degree of restraint on.

“So when it comes to touching and testing goods, when it comes to trying on clothing, when it comes to trying make-up and so on, that all of us exercise restraint in not doing that and recognising that as these stores reopen, it is a new normal, but it will allow us to ensure there are a wider range of goods and will also ensure the economy can return to a new normal, that is absolutely vital for people’s jobs.”