Now the company has reopened its stores, after closing them on Tuesday and Wednesday.

‘Shop responsibly’

In a statement, B&Q said its DIY.com website was open for people to buy home repair and maintenance essentials.

B&Q and other hardware stores have been deemed "essential" by the government.

B&Q CEO, Graham Bell, said: "Over the last 48 hours we have been working hard to create a service that focuses on providing essential products for repair and maintenance of the home.

“This means we can keep supplies open and give our customers the best possible service to ensure their homes are safe, warm and in working order.

"We urge customers to follow all the Government’s social distancing guidelines and to shop responsibly for essential needs only.

“The safety of our customers and colleagues remains our top priority,” he finished.

Can I buy products in-store?

The company has said its stores would remain closed to customers for browsing and purchasing.

Instead, B&Q will offer a Contactless Click+Collect scheme at its stores, as well as home delivery through its website.

What is Contactless Click+Collect?

This means that customers can browse products online, buy them, and then either have them delivered, or pick them up from their local store – without being able to browse for other items there.

The new Contactless Click+Collect system means that products are brought to each customer’s car - helping to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus.

New opening hours

The company said it hopes to limit the contact between customers and employees by reducing opening hours.

Stores are now open from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 9am to 6pm on Sundays.

Is it still safe to shop at B&Q?

B&Q said it is still safe for customers to shop at its stores.

The company has set a limit on the number of people who can enter the store at any time, helping ensure that customers can keep a safe distance from each other.

Stores are equipped with “safe space” markings to help with social distancing measures, and staff with symptoms have been told to self-isolate at home while receiving full pay.

What are other hardware stores doing?

Screwfix has told its customers that while its stores are open, they are operating on reduced hours and only for people to pick up “essential” click and collect orders.

Most stores will be open from 8am to 4pm. The company said its website had been updated to offer only essential items.

Wickes is expected to open tomorrow under different opening hours, but customers can still shop online for home delivery. The click and collect service may not yet be available.

Homebase said it would remain open through the lockdown, but only for home and garden essentials. Its Bathstores and Decorate outlets closed yesterday. You can still order products online, but the click and collect service has been reserved for a small range of products listed on the website.

Is B&Q open? The hardware store has re-opened - here's how its home delivery works