The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the move was absolutely necessary because the new variant of coronavirus was fueling a surge in cases.

Areas entering Tier four include Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, the Northeast on Greater Manchester.

Three quarters of the English population will be under the toughest measures from tomorrow.

Dozens of areas will also now enter Tier three, including Liverpool structure, Devon and Cornwall.

So no part of the country will be in Tier two.

That leaves the Silly Isles which stay in Tier one.

Our health correspondent Dominique use reports in Birmingham just time for a last trim before Tier four restrictions coming at midnight after a tough year.

It's another bitter setback for owner Dale Sample.

Absolutely devastated again that we've just got going after reopening on the second of December.

We're just getting back on our feet again.

How many more times can we be locked down and you know the bills keep rolling on?

It's really difficult to keep coming back in England.

More than three quarters of the population will be in Tier four, the highest level of restrictions.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs the new, more contagious covert variant was driving infections up.

Unfortunately, this new variant is now spreading across most of England and cases are doubling fast.

It is therefore necessary to apply tear for measures to a wider area, including the remaining parts of the Southeast as well as large parts of the Midlands, the northwest, the northeast on the southwest.

This is a global crisis, but let us be clear.

This is a national emergency.

Our National Health Service is becoming overwhelmed.

I hope the T four restrictions are enough.

But many believe even tougher restrictions are now inevitable.

But public health experts warn that restrictions and lockdowns can only do so much.

The fact off any escalation in tears lasts for maybe three weeks, four weeks and then wears off.

So it is doubly important that regardless of which tears we go in, we continue to come forward for vaccines.

Onda take the tests on, more importantly, maintain that social distancing and hand washing and to meet rules.

Rising case numbers are hitting the health service already buckling under pressure in the south and east infections are now growing in the north and west.

Burnley has already bean hit hard by the pandemic this year, but has again seen a rapid growth in cases.

And it's not just businesses that will be affected by the new restrictions.

The local hospice depends on the £650,000 raised each year by its charity shops.

It has been a huge hit for us this year.

We've bean full throughout the whole of the pandemic.

Our hospital at home services are also caring for more patients in the community.

To then close our shops is a really sort of kick to us.

Parts of England that have seen relatively low case numbers in recent months, like Taunton in Somerset, now find themselves in Tier four.

It's clear we're heading into the new Year in the middle of a second wave that is yet to show any signs of subsiding.

It's a place no one wanted to be.