Dorset hairdressers are feeling the strain of uncertainty as their lockdown continues.

The lack of government advice has led to frustration within the hairdressing trade, as many are unsure of the measures they will have to take when they are eventually able to reopen.

Hairdressers and barber shops have been given a tentative reopening date of July 4 as a part of phase three of the government plan, but have been warned this may not be possible and will depend on the reduction of infection numbers.

Weymouth hairdresser Storm Wallace said: “There has been speculation about the opening date for hair salons. The government have given us no certain inclination but many local hairdressers, including myself, are preparing for July 4.

“Financially, I would love to be back to work. I personally fell outside the category for any of the government funding. I’ve been self employed for 10 years, but because I went travelling for a couple of years the government classes me as newly self employed leaving me unable to claim a penny.

“On top of this I am extremely nervous of the way in which the new health and safety regulations may affect our earnings. I for instance make a profit by being busy, working with two clients at a time. To work with just one I would only break even with salon rent which in turn would mean I have to work from home and the salon owner would then be at a loss.”

Tammi Stevens, owner of Gentz Barber Shop in Dorchester, said: “It's really difficult at the moment, because we don’t know what the government is expecting from us. The information we need isn't coming through.

“We've put in extra washing machines and extra tumble dryers, we've ordered hundreds of gowns, visors, masks and gloves. We might not need to use it, but I wanted to make sure that we had it.

“We received a grant from the government but that was gone by the end of May because we had to pay for the changes we were making inside the shop.”

Although hairdressers and barber shops were not officially closed down until the commencement of the lockdown in late March, many businesses suffered throughout March as social distancing guidelines were already prevalent and in the minds of the public. Gentz’s income dropped by around 50 percent in March, as people were anxious about going getting a haircut, adding another month of financial struggle before the lockdown period had even begun.

Many of the staff at Gentz are self-employed, which meant they did not qualify for the furlough scheme.

Miss Stevens continued: “A lot of staff haven't been with me for three years so they didn't have three years’ worth of tax returns. One is on universal credit which isn’t even covering her rent.

“Everyone's expecting us to be busy when we are allowed to reopen but due to social distancing guidelines we can only take so many customers at a time, regardless of the demand.”

“The seats in the salon are a metre and a half apart, we have seven seats and we’ll only be able to use three at a time. We're essentially going to be working at a 50 percent capacity.

“My staff are asking me questions and I can't answer them because I don't know the answers. I can only give them my thoughts on how I think we're going to deal with it, so they’re all panicking,

“I don't want to lay anybody off, but it may be that I can't provide them with the hours that they need to earn a living.

“Until we have confirmation from the government that we're definitely going back on July 4th we can't make any plans.”