Sheffield Council issues urgent ‘stay indoors’ advice to travellers from London

The plea comes after chaotic scenes at stations in London – including St Pancras, which links Sheffield to the capital – on Saturday evening as thousands fled following late changes to the Christmas rules and the announcement of tougher restrictions there and in surrounding areas.

Non-essential travel to and from London and the South East is currently banned after a surge in positive cases owing to a new, more infectious variant of Covid-19.

Sheffield City Council tweeted: “Following the changes to Christmas restrictions announced on Saturday, we are strongly advising that anyone who has travelled from the south east to #Sheffield remains indoors to help protect others.

"If you have symptoms, however mild, please call 119 to get a test, and avoid mixing with other households. Thank you for helping to stop the spread.”

Sheffield remains in Tier 3 following the latest Government review last week, but households will now only be allowed to mix together on Christmas Day to help control the spread of the virus.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan criticised the government for making the announcement "late", following days of reassurances restrictions would be relaxed over the Christmas period.

He said crowded stations were "a direct consequence of the chaotic way the announcement was made".

Health Secretary Matt Hancock called for people to act responsibly but said the majority of people were abiding by the guidelines.