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 today 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 West Bay and Charmouth.

Groups of people were seen at the coast, ignoring advice to stay 2m away from each other and to stay indoors.

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."