Commuting in, DIY out: UK’s new ‘new normal’ after end of Covid controls

End of restrictions has put paid to some pandemic lifestyle changes but other shifts remain in place, poll shows

Britain's love for green fingers and blackened thumbs during the first Covid lockdown has since evaporated as people again find a new normal" after the ending of restrictions, a survey suggests.

The amount of time people spent gardening and doing DIY soared in March and April 2020, with people spending 40 minutes a day improving their homes and gardens compared with just 15 minutes in 2014-15. But it plummeted back to 20 minutes a day in March 2022, Office for National Statistics data shows.