About Sunday trading
Under the Sunday Trading Act 1994 all large shops (with a floor area of 280 square metres or more) may open on a Sunday for a maximum of six hours between 10am to 6pm.
These shops cannot open on Easter Sunday or Christmas Day when this falls on a Sunday.
Each shop that opens on a Sunday must display its hours of trading on notices inside and outside the shop.
Businesses do not have to tell local authorities that they are trading on a Sunday.
The Sunday opening hours of smaller shops are not covered by the Sunday Trading Act 1994. These include:
- restaurants
- takeaways
- farm shops
- chemists
- petrol stations
- motor or cycle supplies
- shops at an airport or railway station
- those selling alcoholic drinks
Our Environmental Services team enforce the legislation and investigate breaches of the legislation and any complaints.
