One of England's tourist hotspots, the south-west county of Cornwall, could be hit hard if the coronavirus lockdown continues into the summer.

That was the warning of Malcolm Bell, the chief executive of tourism body Visit Cornwall.

If the UK's lockdown is extended until August it would end 80 per cent of businesses reliant on tourism, he said.

The area is hugely dependent on visitors and faces huge financial hardship if the number of tourists drops this summer.

Last week, the UK government said the lockdown would be extended into May, saying that relaxing the measures too soon would "risk wasting all the sacrifices and all the progress that has been made".

The UK has reported more than 120,000 coronavirus infections and in excess of 16,000 COVID-19 deaths.