It might be freezing cold with intermittent snow showers but the weather was not going to put off Basingstoke shoppers, eager to head into town today as lockdown restrictions ease.

For many, it will be their first trip down to Festival Place or The Malls since December when the nation was plunged into lockdown once more.

Spirits have been high and jovial this morning as customers have patiently waited outside Basingstoke's Primark, in scenes reminiscent to June 2020 when the first lockdown ended.

But instead of t-shirts and shorts, shoppers have wrapped up warm to brave flurries of sleet and climes of 1C.

Our reporter at the scene described the mood: "Everyone is in high spirits. There is a lot of laughter and friends excited to see each other, many haven't seen one another in months and months.

"It is a really nice atmosphere. The main feeling from people I'm talking to is there is a sense of itching to get out and enjoy a first bit of normality. There is a hope that this might be the last lockdown. It's quite historic."

"Because it's the holidays, there are lots of kids around with their nannies and grandparents. It is a positive and happy atmosphere."

Shoppers have focused on queuing outside Primark, which has no online presence meaning customers have been able to enjoy their favourite bargains since December.