SHROPSHIRE will be in tier one – the lowest band – of the new three-tier strategy of local lockdown measures for England, announced by Boris Johnson in efforts to curb rising Covid-19 rates.

The Prime Minister told the House of Commons on Monday that this will "simplify and standardise" local lockdown rules.

Different areas of England will be split up into medium, high and very high alert levels.

These three tiers represent an advancing scale of local lockdown restrictions with tier one classed as medium meaning residents in north Shropshire will not notice much of a difference from current restrictions.

These areas will be subject to the same national measures which currently apply across the country, including the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants and a ban on most gatherings of more than six people, unless it is a funeral or wedding.

However, to the north of the county, there are both high alert (tier two) and very high alert (tier three) areas, with Cheshire West under high alert status, meaning that residents there cannot mix in households indoors, although support bubbles will still be permitted, while the rule of six will continue to apply outdoors.

However, in Wales, Wrexham is considered as tier three where social mixing will be banned both indoors and in private gardens, while pubs and bars will be told to close unless they can operate as a restaurant.

Local leaders will help to determine whether other venues should be closed, such as gyms or casinos, in very high alert level areas.

People will also be advised against travel in and out of the areas.

In England, the Liverpool City Region is the only area to be placed under tier three restrictions.

In his speech to the Commons on Monday, Mr Johnson defended the move.

He said: "We are not an outlier in this, in the sense that I think they've closed the bars in Paris, and in Berlin they've got the first curfew since 1949, so across Europe and elsewhere you can see people tackling this in very similar ways."

However, hospitality business owners are preparing legal action if more pubs across the North West are closed, ahead of further national lockdown restrictions.