North-East councils want to impose new lockdown restrictions to combat a huge spike in Covid-19 cases.

Political leaders from across the region are writing to the government to call for “stricter Covid-19 prevention measures” to be put in place, it has been confirmed.

Exact details of what those measures will be have not yet been finalised – but they are set to include restrictions on the opening hours and operations of pubs, bars, restaurants, takeaways, and cafes.

Residents could also be told not to meet up with people outside their household or support bubble, similar to new rules imposed in Birmingham last week – a stricter position than the government’s new ‘rule of six’ announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week.

The “drastic proactive action” would cover seven North East council areas – Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, and Northumberland.

The North-East has seen a worrying resurgence of coronavirus in recent weeks, which has seen four boroughs placed onto the government’s watchlist.

South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead, and Newcastle are now classed as areas needing ‘enhanced support’ because of their rising infection rates.

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said: “There is universal concern from council leaders across our region about the exponential rise in Covid cases over the last week.

“Unless we get on with this now, we are facing a bigger problem down the line which could end up in a full lockdown.

“It is better to try to introduce measures which will prevent that, even though that may mean some additional restrictions over the next few weeks.

“We are working with the government on a plan for what those could mean and how we can get those measures in place over the next few weeks to protect our communities and having to go into another prolonged, damaging lockdown.”

Coun Forbes added that it “beggars belief” that he heard reports of house parties being held in the North East over the weekend given the huge spike in cases reported in recent weeks.

He also said that limiting pubs and restaurants to table service only would help “ensure social distancing for longer, especially when people have had a few drinks”.

The Newcastle Labour leader added: “It reminds people that they can’t just do what they want and stand next to their friends. This would be a way of maintaining social distancing as well as keeping venues open.”

In early August, the North East was reported to have the lowest rate of Covid-19 infections in the country – but there has been a serious increase since then.

Prof Eugene Milne, Newcastle City Council’s director of public health, said that the rising case numbers were partly down to a “rising tide” of infections as lockdown restrictions eased and then exacerbated by major outbreaks linked to events such as the Burnside Working Men’s Club charity football match on the border of Sunderland and County Durham, which has now led to more than 60 positives tests.

The public health boss also said last week that local councils would prefer any new lockdown restrictions to be imposed on a region-wide basis to avoid the dangers of residents simply crossing to a neighbouring borough to get around them, for example to find an open pub.

Iain Malcolm, leader of South Tyneside Council, told the North East Combined Authority on Monday afternoon: “All seven local authorities within the region are working extremely closely to coordinate our response to the Covid crisis.

“We are undertaking joint arrangements and coordinating our activities so that there are not mixed messages being given to the residents of the North East region.”

Newcastle City Council said on Monday afternoon that other parts of the North East not already on the government’s watchlist were “likely” to be added soon.

Coun Forbes told a cabinet meeting that council bosses’ “worst fears” were now being realised, while also hinting that Newcastle could raise its own Covid alert level again from amber to red.

He added: “We’re asking for the power, funding, and resources to change things now in order to protect our most vulnerable. We know that a large proportion of the transmission occurs in the hospitality trade and in people’s homes, so we need to be able to target these areas among others.

“But we also need greater control over test and trace, to be able to fully understand the outbreaks as they occur and work with Public Health England and the NHS to implement effective outbreak control.

“This is not the time for inaction. If we are to protect those most susceptible to the virus, we need to be able to act now and that is exactly what we are collectively trying to achieve.”