There are no restrictions on coming in or out of the borough of Hounslow, the council's health chief has said following a meeting with the government.

It follows new guidelines that appeared on the government website on Friday that advised people not to leave or enter several Covid Indian variant hotspots, including Hounslow.

After a day of confusion, Hounslow Council and other authorities have put out statement this afternoon saying people can leave and visit affected areas.

Kelly O'Neill, Director of Public Health at Hounslow said: "Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of Hounslow: There are no local lockdowns.

"In areas where the new covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

"There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.

"We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives."

Twickenham MP Munira Wilson challenged the Government on its communication about new restrictions earlier today in the House of Commons, saying it had caused confusion across West London.

To vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, she said: "Changing policy by stealth is completely irresponsible.

"Matt Hancock should have made clear the changes he was making to guidance in advance and communicated it to the public and local officials.

"I have written to him demanding an immediate statement on why these changes were so mishandled."

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