Richmond Council "unanimously" supports the tougher coronavirus restrictions that the borough will soon be under.

Council leader Cllr Gareth Roberts said he is joining fellow London leaders in calling for extra financial support for hospitality businesses who will feel the "biggest impact" of the move into Tier 3.

He said people should not attempt to "find loopholes" and urged residents instead to follow the rules.

Mr Roberts was speaking in a video message to residents broadcast shortly after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the new curbs.

Watch his address at the top of this story or read a transcript of it below.

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Council leader's full message

Hello, you will all be aware by now that the government has announced that from one minute past midnight on Wednesday morning the whole of London will go into Tier 3 of the Covid-19 restrictions. The reason for this is the rate of infection is rising across the capital and is rising rapidly.

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Richmond is no exception. That is why after consultation with the Mayor of London and all London borough leaders, a decision has been taken and we are unanimous in our support for this change.

The biggest impact will fall on our hospitality sector and as London leaders we are calling on the government to ensure that there is a financial package put in place to ensure that those businesses which are impacted can continue to survive.

At present there are no plans to close any of our schools and we expect them to remain open until the end of term, which is going to be a matter of days anyway.

And unlike lockdown, we are not expecting there to be any change to non-essential retail. Of course, this may change in the coming days.

In the meantime, it is absolutely vital you keep following all of the rules with which we have become so familiar – washing our hands wherever possible, wearing a face mask or covering when travelling on public transport or when in shops, supermarkets or similarly enclosed public spaces, maintaining a social distance of at least two metres and observing the rule of six.

It is absolutely vital that we follow all of the rules, don't try to find loopholes, don't try to find ways around things. This is an important step and it is one that we hope will not only save lives but will also relieve the strain on the NHS. If you need further information look on the council website; details will be coming up after this message.

In the meantime, protect yourselves and protect others.

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