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.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Prof Semple told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “perhaps a circuit breaker a couple of weeks ago would have been a really good idea.”

There were 2,783 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals in England and 349 patients on ventilators as of Tuesday, according to official data. 

The number of admissions to hospitals in England on Sunday – the most recent day for which the statistics are available – was 478, almost double the total the Sunday before.

These hospital figures are the highest since June.

Leaders of northern cities under local lockdowns complained that the restrictions, such as the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants, are confusing and “counterproductive.”

The Labour leaders of Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle city councils, Judith Blake, Sir Richard Leese and Nick Forbes, joined Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson in writing to Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

They said that they needed additional powers to punish those who break the rules and called for new restrictions to be developed by the police, councils and public health experts, along with the creation of a locally controlled Test and Trace system.