Is Pets at Home open? Coronavirus opening times and advice

Pets at Home - one of the biggest pet supply shops in the UK - has confirmed that the majority of its stores will remain open for business.

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Last night, Boris Johnson announced that the UK was headed into lockdown, and that people weren't allowed to leave their homes except for essentials such as food shopping and medical treatment.

The new measures came as coronavirus cases in the UK reached 6,650 with 335 deaths so far.

The Prime Minister also said that all non-essential shops would be closed immediately.

Fortunately for pet owners, pet supply shops have been exempt from the forced closure so you should be able to get food, treats, bedding and anything else you need.

Pets at Home says that most of its stores will be remaining open, but that opening hours will be reduced to give staff more time to clean and ensure shelves are stocked.

The new hours will be Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

The Sun has asked for a full list of those that are closing and will update this article when we find out.

You can check whether your local is staying open as well as its new opening hours using

The pet supplier has introduced social distancing measures within its shops to help keep staff and customers safe.

It is asking shoppers to keep two metres away from each other and has paused in-store events and sign-ups to minimise contact.

Only a small number of people will be allowed into a store or practice at any one time to ensure compliance with social distancing rules.

Customers are being encouraged to try and shop by themselves and not with others where possible.

There will be a queuing system outside the doors to keep numbers down and the pet supplier is urging customers to bring an umbrella in case it rains.

Pets at Home has stopped selling pets and are taking all pets off the shop floor to avoid people coming in simply to look at them.

Finally, the shops are no longer taking cash payments, so you'll need to take a card with you.

The government has recommend that people shop online where possible, but Pets at Home is reporting severe delays for deliveries.

A message on the website reads: "Due to high demand, orders may take up to 14 days to be delivered."

And some customers have been tweeting saying that essentials such as dog food are completely out of stock online.

So customers will either need to try in store, or keep refreshing online until stock becomes available.

Pets at Home has introduced "sensible" purchase limits for supplies.

It has also been responding to tweets letting people know when new stock should be available - so if there's something specific you need it is worth trying customer services.

If you are heading into a physical shop it may be worth calling ahead to check it has what you need on the shelves.

Unfortunately, the chain has closed its 'Groom Rooms', so any appointments you had for grooming will be cancelled.

The business has also stopped workshops and in-store consultations to focus all its attention on food and products, such as bedding and medicines, that are vital the health and wellbeing of pets

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