Bike rack closed and Morrisons turns off supermarket beeps – six bizarre ‘signs of respect’ to Queen

As Britain remains in a period of mourning, some organisations have found unique ways to honour the nation’s longest-reigning monarch

Since the Queen’s death there has been an outpouring of grief as the country remembers Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

Thousands of people have flocked to Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle and Windsor Castle to lay flowers and messages of condolence, while big events including Premier League matches and the National Television Awards have been cancelled.

And while schools, businesses and shops decide whether to close completely on 19 September for the Queen’s state funeral, some more bizarre “marks of respect” have emerged.

Though no doubt well-intentioned, some gestures from companies and authorities have raised eyebrows. We look at some of them below.

Have you spotted an unusual ‘sign of respect’ to the Queen? If so email chiara.giordano@independent.co.uk

1. No more supermarket beeps

A supermarket shopper was perplexed after visiting a branch of Morrison’s on Saturday to find a slower than normal queue at the self-service checkouts.

In a Reddit post, the customer said it soon became clear people were struggling to scan their items because the beeping sounds had been turned off.

They said they were told by a staff member that the store had “turned off all beeps as a sign of respect”.

Morrison’s has turned off all sounds - including music, tannoy announcements and checkout beeps - in each of its stores.

In a message shared on Twitter, someone claiming to be a Morrison’s worker said that within an hour of the Queen’s death being announced, staff had “turned the volume down on all of them [checkouts], turned off the music in store and physically unplugged the tannoy system and put it in the manager’s office” following “orders directly from head office”.

2. Bike rack closed

An image shared on Twitter showed a Norwich City Council sign attached to a cycle rack, warning people it would be closed for almost two weeks during national mourning.

Cyclists were advised their bikes would be removed if left there.

A piece of laminated paper attached to the bike rack read: “Advance warning. Royal period of Mourning.

“This cycle rack will be closed from Friday 9 September until Wednesday 21 September.

“If you leave your cycle here between these times it may be removed.

“We apologise for any inconvenience.”

One Twitter user, who said they were a Norwich resident and cyclist, suggested the sign had been attached to that particular rack because it was directly outside of the council offices where space was being designated for bouquets.

She later posted an update to confirm someone had ignored the sign and locked their bike to the rack on Monday morning.

A spokesperson for Norwich City Council said:“As part of our careful and respectful response to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II we have closed one cycle rack outside City Hall which is within the designated area where people can lay their floral tributes.

“The sign is in place to help ensure the flowers that people have so carefully laid in place to pay tribute to the Queen aren’t damaged by people accessing their bicycles.

“Similarly, a second bike rack outside City Hall is also closed as this is in the area where people queue to sign the book of condolence to the Queen. All other cycle racks in the city remain open, including those just a few feet away from City Hall.

“To clear up any misunderstanding, we’ve replaced the signs with new ones to make things a little clearer.”

Morrisons’ checkout counters have fallen silent

3. Met Office cuts back announcements

A day after the Queen’s death the Met Office announced it would be limiting its social media posts to weather forecasts and warnings only.

The forecaster said in a tweet: “We are saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with her family and all those affected by this news.

“As a mark of respect during this time of national mourning we will only be posting daily forecasts and warnings.”

A subsequent tweet clarified it meant it would stop posting any “non-operational” content on Twitter for the time being.

“It is right at this sad time to pause other non-operational content that isn’t a forecast or warning, to ensure the public can focus on any potential impactful weather during this period. Apologies for any confusion.”

But the decision prompted a backlash on social media as many questioned how it was ‘respectful’ in the first place.

4. Going underground in silence

Transport for London is facing a backlash from musicians after it decided to ban bushing on the Tube network for 10 days.

His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman was among those criticising the announcement.

Writing on Twitter, he said: ‘What a miserable, mean cast of mind this reveals.’

A TfL spokesperson said: “During the period of national mourning, we have taken the decision to pause the busking scheme across our network, and we will reopen the scheme following this.”

The Queen opened the Elizabeth line in May (PA Wire)

5. Petitions suspended

The official UK government and parliament petitions website has been suspended "until further notice" following the death of the Queen.

The decision means people can no longer post new petitions or put their name to existing campaigns.

Visitors trying to sign petitions are met with a large black bar at the top of the page, and a notice which reads: “Following the sad announcement of the passing of Her late Majesty The Queen, petitioning has been paused until further notice.

“Please check back later for more information.”

6. Data on hold

The Office for National Statistics is a government department that routinely publishes a variety of useful data.

Ordinarily, the ONS releases detailed statistics on a broad range of subjects including Covid infections and deaths, unemployment and cost of living.

But on Friday it suspended publications - if only for a day.

A statement said: “Following the profoundly sad announcement of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, all ONS publications scheduled for today (Friday 09 September 2022) have been postponed until 0930 on Monday 12 September.

“Next week’s scheduled publications will go ahead as advertised unless further changes are announced.”