Rail, air and sea services between the UK and France are resuming this morning after the French government agreed to ease its travel ban over Covid fears, the BBC reports.

French citizens, British nationals living in France and hauliers are among those now able to travel - if they have a recent negative test.

Soldiers have joined NHS Test and Trace staff in Kent to carry out rapid tests on stranded lorry drivers.

Thousands of vehicles have been stuck there since the border shut on Sunday.

The travel ban was imposed after the UK government warned of a new, fast-spreading variant of coronavirus and introduced strict tier four - "stay at home" - restrictions across large parts of southern and eastern England in response to a new variant of coronavirus.

The Netherlands and Belgium have also relaxed bans on arrivals from the UK, as long as they have a recent negative result.

But more than 50 other countries, including Italy, India and Pakistan, are continuing to block travellers from the UK.