STRICTER coronavirus restrictions in Bolton have been lifted overnight – despite Bolton Council's urgent plea for them to remain.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham confirmed that the current restrictions banning residents from meeting with another household indoors were eased across the borough.

He called the move "completely illogical", and urged people to continue to follow the guidance and avoid meeting people in the home.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he said: “We find ourselves at a completely unsustainable position this morning – that’s the politest way I can put it.

“Overnight we’ve had restrictions released in two boroughs where we’ve got a rising number of cases – in one case in the red zone.

“And neighbouring boroughs are still under restrictions but with much lower numbers of cases.

“These restrictions were always hard to explain to the public but they are completely illogical now.”

After an emergency discussion yesterday, health chiefs urged the government to maintain current restrictions in Bolton.

A "sudden and concerning" rise in cases saw the town soar up the infection table, topping the chart as the joint most infectious area in the UK with a rate of 56.4 infections per 100,000 people.