Shielding Brits urged to pre-book supermarket slots amid fears of more local lockdowns

Vulnerable households are being urged to pre-book their supermarket delivery slots, amid fears the rising R rate could force more parks of the UK into localised lockdowns in the coming weeks.

Dr Mike Gogarty, the Director of Public Health for Essex, said people should start booking regular food deliveries "now", as the first ban since lockdown was eased in June comes into force in England.

From Monday, September 14, public gatherings will be limited to just 6 people instead of 30 in England.

People in Wales will only be able to meet in groups of six or under indoors and must all belong to the same extended household group.

A maximum of six people from two households will be allowed to meet together in Scotland.

The new limit applies when people meet in restaurants, pubs and beer gardens, as well as in homes.

Dr Gogarty told BBCEssex that he's worried that there will be "big increases" in coronavirus cases "in a couple of weeks" in Essex.

However, he added that the rest of the county is seeing a "less steep" increase in cases at present.

He urged those who are still shielding to book ahead after services were stretched during the first few weeks of the initial lockdown in March.

Over a million people classed as 'extremely vulnerable' were told to isolate for more than three months during the first coronavirus outbreak.

These groups were marked as high risk due to health conditions, such as lung diseases, which made them more vulnerable to CovId-19.

However, a surge in online demand during lockdown left many of them without access to delivery slots - and as a result, without food.

The government ended its shielding guidelines on August 1, 2020.

However, if you're already registered, you will continue to get priority access.

The government says anyone in a local lockdown area should contact their local authority to find out what support is available.

If you don't qualify for extra help but you have a health condition and live in an area at risk of another lockdown, you may want to pre-book slots in advance to ensure you have access to supplies in the coming weeks.

Large parts of north-west England, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Leicester, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently under local lockdown.

Households in Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell will not be allowed to mix, from Tuesday, September 15.

People in Caerphilly county are being told not to leave without good reason and should not meet indoors with anyone outside their household.

And in parts of Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Lancashire people cannot meet anyone outside their own household, or support bubble, in an indoor venue.

Under the new 'rule of six' from today, members of the public who break the rules could be hit with a £100 fine, which will double for every offence up to £3,200, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

It comes as nightclubs remain closed to help curb the spread of the contagious virus.