Would-be tourists are being urged to avoid beaches and other holiday destinations to limit the spread of coronavirus.

And the National Trust has closed its parks and gardens as of midnight on Saturday night, in fear of crowds attending them on Sunday for Mother's Day.

The moves come as tourist destinations and parks continued to draw crowds on Saturday, despite Government advice for people to avoid non-essential travel amid the worsening Covid-19 crisis.

Thousands of people descended on Dorset coastal beauty spots yesterday including Lulworth Cove where the car park was packed with cars, West Bay and Charmouth.

The National Trust announced the closure  to help "restrict the spread of the coronavirus".

The decision was taken ahead of Mother's Day, which the Trust predicts will attract more people to its parks despite Government advice on social distancing.

Houses, cafes and shops belonging to the charity were closed earlier this week.

But following Boris Johnson's announcement on Friday that all pubs, clubs and restaurants would be closed, the Trust has ramped up precautions.

Director general Hilary McGrady said: "Despite our desire to keep our outdoor spaces open, the health and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors has to be our top priority.

"Having observed the numbers visiting our properties today I am no longer convinced we can maintain social distancing over Mother's Day when numbers are likely to grow, and beyond."