THE government has not ruled out imposing restrictions which could see pubs and restaurants forced to close in a bid to get the spread of Covid under control.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said ministers are "currently considering" the steps it should take as he warned of a "fast and serious situation" in the North.

It comes as every local authority area in the North-East has seen a rise in the number of confirmed cases - and the situation in the North of England is worse than in the South.

In the North-East, every local authority area now has a Covid-19 infection rate of 100 cases per 100,000 population, with Newcastle seeing a huge increase with 479.8 cases.

But this morning, Mr Jenrick declined to rule out shutting pubs and restaurants on Monday.

Mr Jenrick was pressed on whether new restrictions on the hospitality industry could come as early as Monday as rates soar in cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.

“It is correct to say the number of cases in the North-West and the North-East and a number of cities, particularly in the Midlands like Nottingham, are rising fast and that is a serious situation,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“We are currently considering what steps we should take, obviously taking the advice of our scientific and medical advisers, and a decision will be made shortly.”

But he said that a “localised but proportionate response has to be the way forwards” amid calls from experts to impose new national measures.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it was “commonsensical” that the longer individuals spend in pubs the more likely they are to transmit the virus and stressed the need to “take action decisively”.

But he said he was working with Chancellor Rishi Sunak to consider fresh support for the hospitality sector because businesses could be put in a “really difficult, intolerable position”.

Health Minister Nadine Dorries said further measures were needed because hospital admissions could be at a “critical stage” in around 10 days’ time.

In the North-East, Food and Drink North East joined calls for additional support for the night-time economy after the 10pm curfew was introduced.

The body, which represents over 500 businesses in the region's food and drink sector, urged to Government to reconsider its position.

READ MORE: Cancel the Curfew: Hospitality demands 10pm Covid rule is scrapped

Downing Street and the Department of Health and Social Care both declined to comment on the reports that new restrictions on hospitality will come as soon as Monday.