England relaxes shopping hours for Olympics

England's laws restricting shopping hours on a Sunday to six hours will be relaxed during the London 2012 Games, finance minister George Osborne said.

The suspension would run in England and Wales for eight Sundays covering the Olympics (July 27 to August 12) and the Paralympics (August 29 to September 9).

“We've got the whole world coming to London -- and the rest of the country -- for the Olympics,” Britain's chancellor of the exchequer told BBC television.

“It would be a great shame -- particularly when some of the big Olympic events are on Sunday -- if the country had a 'closed for business' sign on it.” Campaigners against seven-days-a-week shopping hours claim it will open the door to a permanent shift in the rules, hitting family life.

AFP