CHESTER ZOO has confirmed it will close this week in line with the Government's coronavirus lockdown.

The final day of admission will be on Wednesday, November 4.

The popular zoo will then be closed from Thursday, November 5 until Wednesday, December 2, throughout the Government's planned England coronavirus lockdown, with the aim of reopening on Thursday, December 3.

The zoo has confirmed the closure applies to both the zoo and The Lanterns throughout November.

It is a bitter blow for the award-winning animal attraction, which earlier this year faced the very real threat of permanent closure due to a £5.5 million shortfall in its finances, and had only just reopened its restored Monsoon Forest.

This was borne out of the zoo still having to look after all its animals and plants, and it being denied access to Government funding upon its reopening.

Writing on social media, the zoo said: "Well, here we go again…

"Following the government’s latest instruction for a nationwide lockdown, we’re sad to say we’ll once again close our gates to visitors from 4pm on Wednesday 4 November until Wednesday 2 December.

"We know a second lockdown will help slow down the spread of this terrible virus and we of course want to help in any way we can, but we can't deny that this news presents us with yet more challenges.

"With no tailored funding from the government and having had no access to the £100m Zoo Animals Fund due its highly restrictive criteria, it’s again a worrying time for us, especially after the lengths we went to to make the zoo such a safe space.

"The last lockdown left us with financial hole of £5.5m - a devastating blow for our wonderful charity and the crucial conservation work we do.

"But, we’ve been here before.

"We got through it once.

"And, with you by our side, we’ll get through it again.

"Chester Zoo has always been that happy place.

"A place where families connect with the natural world.

"A place where young and old are inspired to make a difference to our planet.

"A place that's home to 35,000 incredible animals.

"A place of joy.

"Let's all hold onto that.

"One day soon, we'll all feel that joy again."

The zoo has also confirmed it plans to stream further online broadcasts of its animals, as it did during the first lockdown.

For those who had pre-booked tickets to go to the zoo during the lockdown period, or to see The Lanterns, the zoo has made several alternatives.

For those who had booked tickets to the zoo, they can donate their admission fee to help keep the zoo going, rearrange for a different date or request a refund.

Those who booked for The Lanterns will automatically be placed on a new date in December, when hopefully the lockdown is lifted. Again, people can alternatively request refunds.

In addition, zoo members can request a free one-month extension to their membership.

The zoo added: "We still need £1.6m every month just to keep going. So, if you can support us in any way, it really does make all the difference. To help Save Our Zoo, head to www.chesterzoo.org/saveourzoo .

"Stay safe, be kind to each other and we’ll hopefully see you soon."