Shoppers flock to the high street as England's lockdown restrictions ease – in pictures

Shops, gyms, hairdressers and restaurants reopen doors for the first time in months

People wait outside a Nike Town shop on Oxford Street in London, on the first morning of reopening after England’s latest lockdown. AP Photo

Diners enjoy an alfresco breakfast on the terrace at the Indidog brasserie, as outdoor hospitality restarts in Falmouth. Getty Images

People run in as Thorpe Park reopens. Reuters

Members of Aquabatix, a synchronised swimming team practice at Clissold leisure centre in north London. AFP

A man chooses a book at the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, as it reopens its doors to socially distanced customers. Reuters

Members of the public look at Rothschild's giraffes in their enclosure at Chester Zoo. AFP

People swim in the indoor swimming pool at the re-opened The Pods sports and fitness centre in Scunthorpe, north east England. AFP

People exit Oxford Street tube station as England takes a significant step in easing lockdown restrictions, with non-essential retail, beauty services, gyms and outdoor entertainment venues among the businesses allowed to reopen. Getty Images

Members of the public ride on the Depth Charge water slide ride at Thorpe Park theme park in Chertsey. AFP

Secret Spa hairstylist Nas Ganev cuts the hair of Amy Pallister, 27, just after midnight, at her home in Balham, south London. AP Photo

Customers at a Primark shop in Birmingham, central England. Reuters

Customers with shopping bags visit Primark in Birmingham. Reuters

People attend a strength and conditioning class at Ultimate Fitness Gym in Wallsend, north-east England. Reuters

A person trains at Ultimate Fitness Gym in Wallsend. Reuters

People queue outside a shop on Oxford Street, London. Reuters

Customers browse inside a shop on Oxford Street, London. Reuters

A worker sweeps a shop to prepare for its reopening in Birmingham. Reuters

Non-essential retailers, hairdressers and restaurants with outdoor space reopened across England on Monday after almost 100 days of lockdown.

Long queues formed outside Primark shops in English cities such as Birmingham and outside JD Sports shop on Oxford Street in London, undeterred by the unseasonably cold weather.

Hairdressers and barbershops were busy from the early hours as people had their first professional trim in months.

"I'm so excited to see my clients: to see how they are and give them that feeling that they get from having had their hair done," said Maggie Grieve, who manages Beaucatcher hairdressers in north London.

"Today is going to feel like every hairdresser's birthday. The well-wishers have already come in: emails, texts, WhatsApps, even neighbours in the street wishing luck and joy. It feels great."

Indoor gyms, swimming pools, libraries and zoos have also been given the go-ahead to open their doors, as have self-catering domestic holidays, where bookings have soared.

Retailers have been lining up new spring and summer ranges, while bars and restaurants have been buying tents to host outdoor gatherings in a bid to make up for lost time and sales.

"Today is a major step forward in our road map to freedom," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. "I'm sure it will be a huge relief to those business owners who have been closed for so long."

Mr Johnson has said the government will be driven by data, not dates, in its reopening plan, with the next anticipated easing due on May 17.

All social restrictions are scheduled to be lifted on June 21.