Gloucestershire residents who smartened up their garage during lockdown can now compete with the best in a competition organised by retailers Halfords.

Forty per cent of people spent more time in their garage during lockdown than they had done before, according to research carried out by the company, which was inspired to launch its Garage of the Year Competition 2021 in a search to crown the UK's best home garage.

The cycling and motoring specialist retailer wants to celebrate the garages where you spend your time, whether you're tinkering with a classic car or just unwinding.

The competition is part of Halfords' partnership with British Touring Car Championship Team, Halfords Racing with Cataclean.

One in five of those surveyed said they spent the extra spare time making improvements to the garage itself, with DIY, working on vehicles and even using it as an art studio all featuring as popular uses.

The results suggest the garage has become the retreat of choice for millions of Brits.

The submissions will be judged by the Halfords Racing with Cataclean professional racing drivers Daniel Rowbottom and Gordon Shedden.

The overall winner of the competition will receive a £5000 cash prize, along with a Halfords Ultimate garage bundle plus a new set of tyres and a BlackVue dash cam fitted for free, courtesy of Halfords Mobile Expert.

The Ultimate Garage Bundle will include £2000 worth of Halfords tools, tool storage and products, to give the winner the perfect prize.

Halfords chief operating officer Andy Randall said: "As the operator of more than 400 full-service garages across the UK, we know better than most the value of a well-equipped and well-designed garage and we're very excited to launch this competition to find the best home equivalent."

Submissions are open at the Halfords website until 31st July.

The news comes as Halfords announced its profits are set to almost double for the past year after people shunned public transport in favour of bikes and cars during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is expected to reveal a pre-tax profit between £90 million and £100 million for the year to the end of April.

Bike sales have benefited from pandemic trends as Brits chose to cycle more when travelling during lockdown periods while health and fitness has also been a priority for many.

The strong cycling performance is also expected to take pressure off Halfords' retail motoring business, which saw demand weakened by government advice not to travel far during lockdowns.