There are no travel restrictions into and out of the London borough of Hounslow, the director of public health at Hounslow Council has announced following a meeting with government officials.

This means that Teddington residents are allowed to make non-essential journeys to the borough and the Government is no longer advising people to avoid the area as reported earlier today.

Richmond Council, which earlier today advised residents to follow Government advice and 'take extra care' when visiting Hounslow, has not updated its guidance (at the time of writing.)

Last Friday new Government guidance was issued advising people not to leave or enter eight hotspots for the Covid-19 Indian variant unless necessary for work or education.

This included the borough of Hounslow, where cases of the variant are high and surge testing is currently taking place.

But there was no formal announcement of these changes, drawing criticism from MPs, and at least two Councils were unaware of the advice until it was reported today.

Now following a meeting with Government officials, the Directors of Public Health at the Councils covering the affected areas have put out a joint statement confirming that there are no 'local lockdowns' or extra travel restrictions.

The group said: "Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: There are no local lockdowns.

"In areas where the new Covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

"There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.

"We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives."

Teddington's MP criticised confusion around the guidelines on Twitter earlier today, saying: "The lack of communication by Government is breathtaking.

"With Twickenham, Hampton, Whitton bordering on Hounslow, what does this mean for key workers, school pupils and others who criss cross the boundary everyday?"

She then challenged the Government on its communication about new restrictions in the House of Commons, saying it had caused confusion across South-West London.

Addressing Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi in a Parliamentary Session this afternoon, Wilson said: "One of the areas of concern for which new restrictions have been published, but no advice has been communicated, is the London Borough of Hounslow, which shares a boundary with Whitton, Hampton, and St. Margarets in my constituency.

"Hundreds, if not thousands of people go back and forth every day for school, for work, to get food and other essential supplies, and for medical appointments.

"So could the Minister firstly advise my constituents whether they should be getting on buses and trains, which cross the borough boundary, whether they should be going to supermarkets and accessing medical services over the borough boundary, and secondly, will he consider vaccinating as a priority people who have to go to work - teachers, key workers, airport staff - in Hounslow, but live outside the borough?"

In response Mr Zahawi said: "Hounslow is on the list of affected areas, and we are turbo charging the vaccination programme as well as surge testing and the sequencing and isolation, but people need to exercise that caution, that common sense, only travel if it is essential"

Wilson then wrote to Matt Hancock demanding a statement on why the changes were mishandled.

After the guidance was clarified earlier this evening, the MP made her views clear on Twitter , saying: "Unbelievable. Confusion reigns.

"In a public health crisis, you can't keep chopping and changing advice within 24 hours.

"We need clear communication with all affected areas & neighbouring areas."

Found this article useful? For daily updates on what's happening in Teddington, follow us on Facebook and Twitter . You can also sign up to our free weekly newsletter featuring exclusive articles for subscribers - just type your email into the box below.