EXTRA support will be in place in the town centre tomorrow as lockdown eases with the reopening of non-essential shops, pubs and hairdressers.

Swindon Borough Council says it is working with businesses to help them comply with Covid rules and has added extra signage to promote social distancing. Tape has been made available via inSwindon ambassadors to refresh previous queue distance markings.

Public toilets will be open 10am-4pm and looked after by staff to ensure social distancing and cleanliness.

Additional ambassadors from InSwindon BID will also be out and about to remind people to maintain social distancing, and to give out hand sanitiser and face masks. The ambassadors will have a gazebo in the town centre this week to help businesses.

Anita Bellinger, inSwindon BID manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome back those businesses that have had their restrictions lifted. Our team can’t wait to help Swindon town centre reawaken and enjoy a safe and truly vibrant summer. We are incredibly fortunate to have an amazing community, and everyone is pulling together to #SupportLocal.”

Chairman of Swindon’s Pubwatch Justin Britchford said: “We're delighted that hospitality can start to emerge from restrictions as planned. Venues across the town have been planning for this day for months now. We wish them luck and hope the public support these businesses.”

But the council is still urging caution and wants to remind people that gatherings outdoors must be just two households or six people from more homes – and they must not meet indoors with anyone outside of their household or bubble.

Director of public health Steve Maddern said: “While we are all looking forward to easing restrictions, we must remember what we have learnt over the past year. We hope that our residents will enjoy being able to socialise more and use our local economy but in a safe and sensible way to protect themselves and others from Covid-19.

“Council teams and partners have been working extremely closely together to ensure these next steps are taken carefully and with full caution. The priority has been, and still is, to ensure the safety of the staff working in these services and the residents that use them.”

Symptom-free testing is now available for everybody in the town. The government advises that the public should continue to make use of symptom-free testing even if they have had the Covid-19 vaccination.

For more information, to find your nearest collection point or to order your home testing kit, go to www.nhs.uk/get-tested

If anybody is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, they should self-isolate immediately and book a free NHS PCR test online or by calling 119.

Further information about the support and guidance being offered by the council during the pandemic can be found at www.swindon.gov.uk/coronavirus