A NEW Forest MP has questioned the government about reopening garden centres as the industry suffers under the coronavirus lockdown.

Sir Desmond Swayne’s intervention came on the day the Daily Echo reported that Haskins Gardens Centres had furloughed 92 per cent of its staff and been forced to dispose of plants worth £125,000.

Another local business, Stewarts Garden Centres, has previously said it is fighting for survival while its shops are closed.

Sir Desmond, Conservative MP for New Forest West, raise the issue during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, with foreign secretary Dominic Raab standing in for Boris Johnson.

He asked: “Will garden centres and nurseries be allowed to reopen in short order?”

Mr Raab replied: “I totally appreciate the value of garden centres and nurseries.

“The current advice, as I’ve indicated, from SAGA (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) was that that relaxing any of those measures, including the ones that he refers to, would risk damage to the public health, our economy and frankly the progress that we’ve made, the sacrifices so many have made, the lives that have been lost.

“But can I reassure him that they looked specifically at garden centres and we will continue, as indicated earlier, to keep the evidence for each individual measure under very close review.”