FURTHER parts of Northern England will be placed under the Government's strictest set of lockdown rules as council leaders agree to Tier 3 restrictions.

Lancashire has agreed a deal to move into the highest level of Covid restrictions in England, the BBC has reported.

It means more parts of the North West will be under tough new restrictions, which include closures of pubs that do not serve food and a ban on households mixing indoors and outdoors.

The North-East remains under Tier 2 restrictions with a Covid alert level of 'High', reflective of the continued rise of Covid-19 cases.

The latest imposing of restrictions comes after leaders of County Durham, Northumberland, Newcastle, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland agreed to oppose any tightening of restrictions on a morning conference call.

In a statement they said that Tier 3 is the “wrong strategy” for the region and will argue the North-East should remain in Tier 2, with infection figures being closely monitored and an “intensified” communications strategy to “win public support”.

Gateshead Council leader, Martin Gannon, said that the leaders agreed existing measures under Tier 2, which prevent the mixing of households indoors and impose a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants, were helping to stop the spread of coronavirus and needed more time.