Britain should act sooner rather than later if it is going to follow Germany and France and take nationwide steps to slow a second wave of the coronavirus, said Steven Riley, author of an Imperial College study into the spread of the disease.

"I think we need decide to if we're going to end up using those restrictions that have been brought in elsewhere in Europe today and yesterday. And if we’re if we're going to do that, then we should think about timing. And sooner is better than later for these," Riley, a professor of infectious disease dynamics, told the BBC.

The spread of the coronavirus continues to increase across all parts of England with cases doubling every nine days, according to the new study by Imperial College.