It's official - Christmas is cancelled for West Berkshire

Region is cast into Tier 4 as new variant coronavirus surges

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson announced Berkshire will be along regions cast into the new Tier 4 for the Christmas period and beyond.

That means people must stay at home, avoid non essential travel and non essential shops must close again.

Those in Tier 4 should not stay overnight away from home and should only meet one person from another household in a public space.

The new measures come into effect from midnight tonight and will be reviwed again on December 30.

Mr Johnson said Tier 4 was "roughly equivalent" to the national lockdown earlier in the year.

He added: "The spread is now being driven by the new variant of the virus we learned about last week. It does appear to be passed on more easily. It may be up to 70 per cent more transmissable. This is now spreading very fast."

The Cabinet met this lunchtime to discuss the mutation of the virus and the troubling increase in infection rates and beyond, just days before the planned easing of restrictions for the Christmas holidays.

Mr Johnson said he "bitterly regrets" the U-turn, after telling the country a few days ago that it would be "inhumane" to impose such restrictions over the festive period.