Construction sites will be able to stay open, as the prime minister this afternoon (19 December) confirmed that London and the South-east will be put into a new, higher tier to combat the spread of covid -19.

The new rules, which come into effect from midnight tonight, will see all 32 boroughs in the capital moved into the new tier four along with a string of neighbouring counties such as Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire. In all, around 18 million people are being placed into the new system.