BORIS JOHNSON is being urged to consider a “circuit-breaker” national lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus as figures suggest that local restrictions are proving ineffective.

Professor Calum Semple, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), recommended today that stricter nationwide rules be introducted to avoid the need to limit the virus at a later stage when the number of cases is expected to be higher.

The number of positive tests has risen sharply in recent weeks, with 14,542 lab-based confirmations across the UK as of 9am on Tuesday. A fortnight ago, on September 22, there were 4,926 recorded.