HUNDREDS of customers queued for the reopening of shops in the town centre on Monday, as the country slowly begins to unlock after three months in lockdown.

Non-essential shops in Festival Place and The Malls opened to smiling faces and eager customers, some of who were standing in line for Primark and Sports Direct from 8am.

Despite the busy scenes, retail experts described it as a “short-lived boost”, with the industry is set to lose £40billion this year.

Still, traders appeared happy when interviewed on Monday. Jewellery boss Alan Knight said he was “pleased to be back”.

Read the full story on page 2.

Also:

  • There were plenty of cuddles, smiles and tears across the borough as the government’s new ‘social bubble’ policy came into force. For the first time in three months, those living alone were able to see loved ones again which prompted a number of emotional reunions last weekend. Read the full story on page 3.
  • “Boris Johnson says we can’t go back and rewrite history. We don’t need to, we just need to tell the truth.” That was the powerful message from Jojo Blankson, of Basingstoke United Against Racism, at a peaceful demonstration at War Memorial Park on Saturday. Read the full story on pages 4-5.
  • Hampshire Fire and Rescue’s first black firefighter has detailed the battles of racism that he faced during his two decade career. Ludwig Ramsey joined the service back in 1988, where he served in Basingstoke for five years and Andover for the remainder of the time until in 2008. He told the Gazette that the 1999 publication of the Macpherson report which followed the death of Stephen Lawrence should have helped bring in more BAME firefighters. Read the full story on page 6.
  • The owner of the Camrose football ground should have told fans before evicting Basingstoke Football Club, according to documents exclusively unearthed by The Gazette. And clauses in the paperwork show fans might have been able to stop Rafi Razzak from going ahead with the decision. However, Mr Razzak denies the claims, and said that the preferential share was taken away. Read the full story on page 8.
  • A man rescued during protests by a Black Lives Matter hero has been identified as a Millwall FC fan from Basingstoke. Bryn Male, 55, was carried to safety by personal trainer Patrick Hutchinson after being beaten up in violent scenes outside London’s Waterloo station on Saturday. Read the full story on page 9.
  • Also in this week's paper, the latest from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • Two pages of news from our communities.
  • Three pages of news from our districts.
  • A four page puzzle special.
  • Three pages of entertainment news.
  • And much more!

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