A town crier was on hand to hail the reopening of town centre shops this morning.

Tunbridge Wells herald John Scholey travelled to Tonbridge town centre to announce the latest step out of lockdown as non-essential retailers began to welcome shoppers once more.

He said: "People are delighted. They've been so great. The odd dog goes woof at you and the children go 'Oh, look, there's a pirate'.

"It's been a lovely day. It hasn't been too hot and hopefully as people gain confidence the streets will get much busier."

It is estimated up to 600 stores will open their doors for the first time in more than two months in the coming days across Tonbridge and Malling.

A queue formed outside Poundland as bargain-hunters returned to the stores after months of lockdown.

At Gorgeous George, an independent gift shop, owner Teresa Seamer said she was glad to see footfall returning to the town centre.

She said: "The atmosphere in Tonbridge is great. We actually had a woman waiting at the door to come in.

"I really didn't know what to expect so it was a pleasant surprise.

"Because it's quite a small shop we've created a one-way system and we've got sanitizer at the tills.

"Were wiping surfaces all the time because we want to reassure people we are safe."

Shopper Jill Marks, who lives in the north of the town, had popped in for some groceries.

The 67-year-old said: "It's nice to see so many people in the high street and I'm glad to see so many more shops open, we just need a few more.

"I've mainly just got food today but I've been looking at shops that are open because it's nice to know they're there if I need them."

To help make the reopening of more businesses as safe as possible, high street support officers will be on hand to provide information to shoppers and street furniture and public facilities will be cleaned more often.

CCTV will also monitor queues and spot any overcrowding while there will also be street signs and posters reminding people to keep social distancing.

Nick Heslop, leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said: "It's great to see a buzz in the high street again. There are a lot of people around.

"I'm pleased to see people paying attention to the social distancing guidelines. We've put in about four or five measure in terms of encouraging people that the high street is a safe place to visit."

Read more: All the latest news from Tonbridge