Businesses in Birmingham and Manchester to remain closed as areas to enter Tier 3

Hospitality businesses in areas including Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester and Lancashire will have to remain closed apart from delivery and takeaway next week as England moves from lockdown restrictions into a tougher tier system.

The majority of England, including London and Liverpool, will enter Tier 2, while Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly are the only areas to go into Tier 1.

"We must make the tiers tougher than they were before to protect the NHS through the winter and avert another national lockdown," said health secretary Matt Hancock. "These decisions are not easy but they are necessary."

In the tighter tier system the rule of six applies both indoors and outdoors in Tier 1. In Tier 2 households are not allowed to mix indoors and alcohol can only be served as part of a substantial meal, while all forms of hospitality have to close in Tier 3, except for delivery or takeaway.

However, the government has confirmed the first tier review will take place on 16 December, which could see areas enter lower tiers in time for Christmas.

The tier restrictions are uniform across England, and additional measures will not be negotiated with local authorities as they were before.

To find out which tier your area is in, you can use the postcode checker here or there is a full list here.

Photo: Flickr – UK Parliament