A garden centre boss has struck a cautiously optimistic note amid expectation the Prime Minister is to approve their reopening.

Tammy Woodhouse, managing director of Millbrook Garden Centre, which has sites in Staplehurst and Southfleet, said planning is now under way for getting the business back up and running in line with social distancing protocols.

She estimates the company has missed out up to £1.5 million in sales as a result of the lockdown, with around 150 staff across the two Kent sites and a branch in Sussex put on furlough.

Speaking to KentOnline this afternoon, Ms Woodhouse said the 41-year-old family firm hopes to be able to bring around half of the workforce back if the green light is given to reopen.

"We are waiting for the announcement today," she said. "But it looks like we will be able to open from Wednesday, which is great.

"We have got to sort out the layout and we have to get staff brought back from furlough to train them on new procedures, so we aim to open this week if we can. We need to make sure we have everything in place.

"We have about a month of the peak gardening season left, so the next four weeks could really make a big difference. We are keen to get going as safely as we can."

Earlier this month, Ms Woodhouse explained how their gardening business had lost around £150,000 over the first weekend it was forced to close as part of measures designed to stop the spread of Covid-19.

She pointed out that contradictory rules allowing DIY stores to remain and sell garden products had stirred up ill-feeling in the industry.

"It's not a level playing field," she said. "You've got B&Q and Homebase that have reopened and they're allowed to sell garden equipment and plants. Supermarkets have got trolleys of compost and other things too.

"It's really galling. We want to do the right thing and as an industry we've stuck to the rules."

Boris Johnson is expected to reveal the government’s "road map" for easing the lockdown when he addresses the nation this evening.

It is widely expected garden centres will be among the businesses permitted to resume trading from Wednesday, as long as they ensure shoppers obey social distancing measures, such as keeping two metres away from others.

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