tonight at six — a whole new level of restrictions for parts of the north—east of england. for the first time, you could be fined for meeting other households anywhere indoors. newcastle, county durham, northumberland — some of the places where it'll now be illegal to mix with people you don't live with — whether at home or in a pub or restaurant. we do not take these steps lightly, but we must take them and take them now, because we know that swift action is more likely to bring the virus under control. it's the first time mixing with other households in any indoor setting has been made illegal. has been made illegal in england. also tonight... the new 10pm curfew in england and scotland sees crowds pouring onto the streets at the same time and prompts calls for an urgent review.

feeding the students who can't leave their halls of residence — thousands are now self—isolating at around a0 universities across the uk. i'm live in port talbot, the latest pa rt i'm live in port talbot, the latest part of wales to go into lockdown, with two thirds of the nation now under tougher restrictions. the fraudsters trying to make easy money from a government—backed loan scheme to keep small businesses afloat. we have an investigation. and the pledge for nature — 65 countries sign up to save habitats and wildlife at risk from climate change. and coming up on bbc news... england's football structure on the brink of collapse. a warning to the government that, without financial support, many clubs will not survive the pandemic.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. tough new measures are being introduced in parts of the north—east of england — being introduced in parts already under local lockdown for ten days now — which make it illegal for people to meet indoors in private or public venues, such as a pub or restaurant, with people they don't live with. from wednesday, those living in county durham, gateshead, sunderland, newcastle, north and south tyneside and northumberland will now be prevented by law from mixing indoors with any other households. the health secretary matt hancock said the number of cases in the north—east has continued to rise sharply despite the local lockdown and swift action was needed. here's our health editor, hugh pym. for parts of the north east of england, further curbs on how people go about their everyday lives. from wednesday, there will be a legally enforcea ble ba n wednesday, there will be a legally enforceable ban on mixing with other households in indoor public venues

like pubs, punishable with fines, it is the first such tightening of the rules in england. we will introduce legal restrictions on indoor mixing between households in any setting. mr speaker, we do not take these steps lightly, but we must take them and take them now, because we know that —— know that swift action is more likely to bring the viruses under control. seems like these in york on saturday night have raised questions about the new 10pm closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants, with people gathering on the streets after they had to leave local venues. after they had to leave local venues. there after they had to leave local venues. there were after they had to leave local venues. there were crowds, too, in other cities after the earlier closing time and there have been calls for the curfew to be reviewed, after reports of people gathering in off—licences to buy alcohol. after reports of people gathering in off-licences to buy alcohol. the big problem with it, as far as i'm concerned, is it creates an

incentive for more social gatherings in the home. we are told by the experts that that is the big reason, the big place where more transmission of the virus takes place. but downing street said the measures struck the right balance between protecting the public and allowing pubs and restaurants to continue trading. as well as the north—east, there are several other areas in the north of england covered by restrictions. the highest case numbers, according to latest data, are in burnley, with 270 per 100,000 population, knowsley, liverpool and newcastle, with 246 per 100,000. london's highest infection rates are a lot lower, with redbridge at 68 per 100000 and barking and dagenham with 58. london councils have now been designated areas of concern on a watch list drawn up by public health officials, but some council leaders feel that

the published infection numbers understate the true position. in the borough of hammersmith and fulham, they were running mobile pop—up test centres, but they had to stop when the units were moved to other areas. now the council is concerned there are rising numbers of undetected cases. the government keep saying there is enough testing for everybody. that isn't our experience here. people who want to get tests can't get online to book them and, asa can't get online to book them and, as a result, we are people, i'm sure of it, walking around our borough and all parts of london who are carrying the virus and are potentially a danger to other people and wejust potentially a danger to other people and we just don't know about it. there are no calls from some local authorities in the capital for the government to impose the same restrictions already in place elsewhere in the country. hugh pym, bbc news. let's talk to our correspondent in newcastle, fiona trott. they are coming into force in the north—east of england on wednesday. what was the reaction? was it expected? people here in newcastle

this evening say they are completely confused by this. why can i have a cup of coffee with my work colleague during work hours but i cannot see them in the pub afterwards for a drink? let me explain what's been happening. lastly, there was guidance, saying please don't meet in indoor areas, even if it is in a group of six, that was the guidance. now they are saying it is enforcea ble now they are saying it is enforceable by law, the police will approach you, advise you and could find new between £100 and over £3000. -- find new between £100 and over £3000. —— could find you. durham, here in newcastle, gateshead, north and south tyneside, northumberland and south tyneside, northumberland and sunderland. why? it is because the incidence rates have gone over 106 of the seven areas here in the north—east of england. don't forget, the teesside area is not affected by this. latest figures suggest here in newcastle there are 235 cases per 100,000, that isjust here in

newcastle. 0ver 100,000, that isjust here in newcastle. over 700 new cases compared to the week before. but this has taken the council here by surprise. they weren't expecting this announcement today. central government, though, says more funding will be made available to the council here to enforce the new restrictions. fiona, thank you. more than 16 million people in the uk are now under some form of local lockdown. some places, like leicester, have been under tighter restrictions for months now. so is it working? here's our medical editor fergus walsh. at first glance, life may look back to normal in leicester, but people here haven't been able to meet inside each other‘s homes since march, unless they are part of a support bubble. you can only see friends an outdoor cafes, parks or other public spaces. leicester was the first place in the uk to introduce local restrictions, at the end ofjune, after a sharp rise in cases. they were tough, people were told

to stay at home and only travel if it was vital. nonessential shops were shut for around a month. public health officials started going door to door doing testing. it worked. cases fell by half in the coming weeks and, in early august, restaurants, pubs and hairdressers reopened, about a month after the rest of england. and, in early september, swimming pools and gyms reopened. but, in the past few weeks, cases have started to rise sharply again. there was a small increase in hospital admissions in leicester in june, but, mostly, the trend has been downward. cases have stopped falling, but are still way below the peak in april. very concerned that things are going the wrong way, that those case numbers, we definitely need to get back down. i think to some extent pleased at the moment that we are still not seeing that result in hospital admissions but

fea rful result in hospital admissions but fearful that is going to come, i think that is the key bit for me, is how do we protect those who are most vulnerable to admissions. ker philly was the first local authority in wales to be placed under local restrictions since the 8th of september —— carefully. people can't enter or leave the county without a reasonable excuse or meet friends indoors. early indications are the restrictions are working, with cases falling sharply. across the uk, at least 16 million people are subject to extra restrictions. that is just under one in four of the total population. the uk restrictions are not yet as drastic as those taken in france's second city, marseille. all restau ra nts a nd bars france's second city, marseille. all restaurants and bars were ordered to close at the weekend following a surge in cases and hospital admissions. businesses say it is a catastrophe. the dilemma they are, and here, is how to control covid without wrecking the economy ——

there and here. fergus walsh, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 4,044 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 5,770. 13 deaths were reported of people who died, within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the last week, 30 deaths were announced every day. that takes the total number, across the uk, to 42,001. let's talk to our health editor, hugh pym. we editor, hugh pym. were talking about the tough ne restrictions we were talking about the tough new restrictions coming in on wednesday in the north—east of england, how likely is it that those will be spread elsewhere? well, the government at westminster has made it very clear that the north west of england is now being looked at very closely. indeed, conversations have been had with council leaders in merseyside, that has been made very

explicit. just to repeat, the significance of the announcement today for the north—east, there are existing legal bans on some parts in england for gatherings in other people's houses. this is extended into the community, indoor venues like pubs and restaurants, making it illegal to meet anyone from another household there for a drink or a meal or whatever, which is a significant extension on where we were. and pat hancox announcing this in the —— matt hancock announcing this in the commons when there is a big debate about how far the state should go in controlling the virus. he made it clear it was needed to move quickly in the north—east. there mayor has told the bbc he would like to see some of the restrictions and his committee and will lobby for more money for that. as for london, i am told there won't be any quick move to change things there, they want to see a little bit more data and information about how cases develop in the capital. hugh pym, thank you. around 40 universities across the uk have now reported cases

of coronavirus and thousands of students are self—isolating as the new term begins. after a flood of complaints, scotland has now changed its guidance to allow students to return home, although the entire household would then have to isolate for 14 days. here's our education correspondent dan johnson. they four of this fresh lockdown and the fun is running low, along with the fun is running low, along with the food. behind the fences, the hopes of what student life should have been. we were here with the promise of, you guys can have a bit more of a normal unique experience and within two weeks, they were, like, no, you can't. we were kind of solder full—screen. like, no, you can't. we were kind of solder full-screen. this was the start to term nobody wanted but so many could see coming. the government has gathered thousands of stu d e nts government has gathered thousands of students together to live in close proximity, where they are going to use the same areas, so if you expect to send all these people back and not have that kind of a spike, either it is incompetence or poor planning. each university should

have their own testing facility and you could reduce cases and isolate individual houses. 0ur you could reduce cases and isolate individual houses. our house had no symptoms and nobody needed to get a test but we are stuck in a. universities are offering more support and say it will cover costs for the next fortnight but there is no denial here that student fees and rents have been the priority. what you say are those who came here on the promise of at least some face—to—face learning and now find themselves locked up, learning online, feeling like they have been misled and are now trapped? well, i don't see these students as having been misled or trapped, actually. like many people, they are having to self—isolate, it is for two weeks. these students are on three or sometimes four—year courses, it is a short part of their study. it is worth saying, student life is carrying on here to some degree. people are using the library, keeping socially distance, of course, but with cases being reported at other universities, there will be more disruption. at there will be more disruption. at the university of glasgow, supplies are arriving and there is more food

on hand. alongside deliveries, pa rents on hand. alongside deliveries, parents have been helping make decisions the future. we talked about whether to defer studies for next year, but i think she has decided, is it going to be any better next year? might as well carry on. in edinburgh, molly has been isolating that today got the all clear. they seem to be ok with sending a and changing whatever household we are in to get us into holes, but when it comes to letting us go home, it is a huge problem which household you are in.“ us go home, it is a huge problem which household you are in. if you absolutely had to travel to your family had to isolate, you should avoid using public transport and crucially, members of your household will have to isolate for 14 days. in belfast, around 100 are isolating after 30 tested positive at queen's university and, in wales, aberystwyth is the latest to suspend face—to—face teaching after cases. there is more evidence today this age group is hit hardest by the pandemic. it was difficult getting here and there is no easy time

ahead. dan johnson, bbc here and there is no easy time ahead. danjohnson, bbc news, manchester. almost two—thirds of the welsh population are now under extra coronavirus restrictions, after three more areas in south wales went into local lockdown this evening. neath port tolbot, torfaen and the vale of glamorgan are now covered by the restrictions, meaning people can't enter or leave the areas without a reasonable excuse and households cannot mix indoors. hywel griffith is in port talbot. yes, wales' lockdown list continues to grow almost by the day. places like port talbotjoining that list in the last few minutes, adding to cardiff, swansea, newport, the entire south wales valleys, all under tougher regulations. and, this evening, there is also concern about growing coronavirus case rates in north wales. all in all, it is hard to see there is much room for optimism on the horizon. i think the minority are spoiling it for the majority. with the lockdown, people aren't

going to follow rules. being a student who'sjust moved back, it's quite difficult. it means that i'm not able to go and see my family in newport. we've got grandchildren in cardiff and we won't be able to stay with them indoors any more. local lockdowns bring barriers and divisions. containing communities, as well as the virus. it's really hard for me, because she's my mum. and she's a great mum. for barbara, in swansea, it means more separation. visits to her 89—year—old mother's care home have stopped again, for at least a month. we don't know how long she's got, so itjust feels so sad that, at this time of her life, we feel, ifeel, as if i've abandoned her. because she doesn't really understand what's happening. pa: i'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all visitors to barry island today... there are now 11 parts

of wales under lockdown. people aren't allowed to meet indoors or leave their area without a valid reason. it means day—trip destinations like barry island can only draw a local crowd. obviously, it affects business and, if it affects business, it affects my staff. we're not a shopping centre, we're not a town centre, we're a beach, we've got the views, we've got the walks and we've lost that. it's notjust local tourism businesses that may suffer. anyone living in any of the lockdown zones has been told they are not allowed to leave to go on holiday. flights have to be cancelled, no—one can travel in or out. some question why people in english lockdown areas can still travel to the open parts of wales. the welsh government wants everyone to show restraint. right now, with the nation facing a very serious second wave of coronavirus, it's incumbent upon everybody to do what they can to minimise the risk of the infection spreading.

so, if anybody has to travel, then they should do so considering every particular risk that it involves. few here in barry expect they'll be taking off anywhere soon. most are resigned to living under these new limits for weeks, if not months. hywel griffith, bbc news in the vale of glamorgan. the time is up to 6:20. our top story this evening... the north east of england is facing a new level of restrictions. for the first time, you could be fined for meeting other households anywhere indoors. and tributes are paid to the sergeant who died after being shot while on duty in south london on friday. coming up on sportsday on bbc news: taking the hand out of football, but is it ruining the game? another weekend of controversial decisions in the premier league has some critics calling for the handball rule to change.

a government—backed loan scheme to help small companies keep afloat during this pandemic is being targetted by criminals who are setting up fake companies and netting themselves tens of thousands of pounds each time. a bbc investigation has found that scammers have been taking advantage of limited checks on new applicants for the bounce back loan scheme, and it's potentially costing the tax payer millions of pounds. 0ur correspondent, angus crawford, has more. it's a bounce back loan application that's been approved for £50,000. taxpayers' money, meant for struggling firms. here's a second. here's a third. here's a fourth. and here's a fifth. that's a quarter of a million pounds. this investigator has infiltrated a criminal gang online. they're using stolen identities and fake companies to cash in on government—backed loans. he's called the company tellings home—made furniture services.

and lloyds bank here are writing to him and saying, "we're pleased to offer you a loan." it's for an individual called mark telling, and he's become the victim. meet mark telling, the real mark telling. he doesn't have a furniture business, he didn't apply for the loan. he and his partner natasha, saving to buy a house, can't quite believe it. you have apparently applied for a bounce back loan of £50,000. 50,000. 50,000? that's crazy. shocking. absolutely shocking. no way i own a company and a £50,000 loan taken out. this is a covid... a covid loan? a covid loan. it's meant to help struggling businesses. this is going to worry us to death now, isn't it? yeah. so, what's happening? the bounce back loan scheme is designed to support uk smaller businesses that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus... as covid shut down the economy,

the government announced a rescue plan for small firms — a loan of up to £50,000. simple to apply for, paid out within a day. ..you can apply for a loan. but see this, the number of new firms being registered at companies house, riding high until covid hit, and then lockdown. the economy falls off a cliff and new registrations collapse. but then watch. well, today, we announced a brand—new loans scheme for small businesses... when rishi sunak announces the bounce back loan scheme, new registrations take off — to a record 21,000 in a single week. we don't know how many of those new companies might be fake, or how many actually applied for a loan, but we do have evidence of applications to multiple different banks from a number of brand—new, completely bogus firms. the rules are clear — only companies already trading on march 1st this year can apply

for bounce back loans — but we've seen evidence of scores of firms, only created in the last couple of months, making applications on an industrial scale. what we don't know is how well those applications are being checked. i think a child could do it. it's as easy as just going to their website and filling out a form. it seems to be free money for the scammers. they... when we take into account that there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of people also engaged in this, it's going to cost us billions. everything we discovered has been handed to the authorities. the treasury says, "banks are undertaking appropriate precautions against fraud," and insists it will take "criminal action against the most serious cases". so, yeah, these people need to be stopped. mark and natasha — and the british taxpayer — all victims, with no idea how much this fraud may eventually cost them. angus crawford, bbc news.

the partner of the police sergeant murdered at a custody centre in south london on friday says she's lost her "gentle giant". su bushby said matt ratana touched many people's lives with his friendliness, patience and kindness. the suspect remains critically ill in hospital, after he was seriously injured in the same incident in croydon. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, reports. this was sergeant matt ratana receiving a long and good service medal from the head of his force three years ago. since he was shot dead in the croydon custody centre in the early hours of friday, tributes have poured in. and this afternoon, came these words, from his grieving partner, su bushby. "i had the pleasure of sharing five years of my life with this lovely man. my gentle giant, with his infectious smile and big heart. i think of him with tenderness and love. matt will always be in my head and in my heart." 0rder, order.

i'm sure all honourable members will wish tojoin me in paying our respects to police sergeant matt ratana, who was killed in the course of duty on friday. this afternoon, there was a minute's silence in parliament for the custody sergeant, originally from new zealand. he's been remembered for almost 30 years' service to policing, but also for the huge contribution he made to grassroots rugby as a coach and mentor of young players. in her statement, his partner said, "i know matt touched many, many people's lives with his friendliness, patience, kindness, enthusiasm and caring ways." the man suspected of shooting sergeant ratana, louis de zoysa, is still in a critical condition in hospital. a school friend has told the bbc that he had a weird obsession with guns and used to watch extremely violent videos in the sixth form.

in his school leaving book, his classmates described him as "good with weapons". daniel sandford, bbc news. the labour mp for leicester east, claudia webbe, has been charged with harassment. she is accused of one offence against a female between september 2018 and april this year. ms webbe, who's 55, said she was "innocent of any wrongdoing" and would vigorously defend herself against the claims. she's due to appear in court in november. in his first conference speech as leader of the liberal democrats, sir ed davey acknowledged that the party would need to change its approach in the run—up to local elections and next year's holyrood election. he also pledged to be the voice for carers in the country, as he reflected on being a carer for members of his family. he called for urgency in cross—party talks on tackling the issue. 0ur political correspondent,

jonathan blake, reports. it's a struggle to be seen, and heard, when you're the leader of the liberal democrats these days, but ed davey arrived at his party's headquarters in london this morning hoping to make his mark. looking forward to it. addressing party members online, his tone was sombre, and he made clear social care would be his priority. having looked after his mother — and now a disabled child — for him, he said, it's personal. it was easy caring for mum. i loved her. but it was also incredibly tough visiting her on a totally unsuitable dementia ward, in my school uniform, alone by her bedside when she died. he promised to be a voice for the country's carers. but beyond that, after a run of terrible election results, ed davey admitted the lib dems had lost touch. we can't fix this with a catchy new slogan, or by fighting the same battles in the same way.

the answer is to listen to what people are really telling us, and to change. ed davey takes pride in his time in coalition government with the conservatives, but overcoming the broken promise on tuition fees and a more recent anti—brexit stance, he admits will take time. are you in this for the long haul? i think it's the national level where the listening exercise by the party really needs to be focused on, for months and months and months. i don't think this is, there's no quick fix to this. but listening to voters can only last so long. elections are the ultimate test for any leader, especially one with a limited voice. jonathan blake, bbc news. leaders from 65 countries have signed pledge for nature, a plan to save wildlife and habitats which are in danger because of climate change. here, national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and other protected areas make up 26% of land in england. boris johnson has promised that the government will increase the amount of protected land to 30% by 2030.

here's our science correspondent, victoria gill. peaceful, picturesque — many of us have looked to the countryside, to nature as an escape from at least some of the anxiety that this year has brought. but even in the most scenic, rural, protected places, like this site in the west pennine moors that belongs to the wildlife trust, many species are in decline. we're losing biodiversity in this country. a quarter of native uk birds and mammals are now under threat. so, environmental groups have welcomed the announcement by the prime minister that 400,000 additional hectares of english countryside — equivalent to about 400,000 football pitches — will be protected, set aside for the recovery of nature. like so many 2020 meetings, the biodiversity summit today

where mrjohnson spoke about his plan was held virtually. we can't afford to dither and delay, because biodiversity loss is happening today, it's happening at a frightening rate. and if left unchecked, the consequences will be catastrophic for us all. but while this commitment is seen as a positive step, conservationists say it takes much more than space to restore habitats and let species bounce back. having more land set aside for nature is really good and it's a step forward that we've been waiting for for years, but that is just one step forward. a lot of our wildlife won't survive if you just let the land go. the majority of it will turn to woodland. and of course, a lot of our species, our grasslands species, and species like a mixture of everything, so all

of that will disappear if everything was just woodland. while the environment is a devolved issue, the government has pledged to work with scotland, wales, northern ireland and landowners across the uk to increase the amount of protected land. in england, protected areas currently make up 26% of land, so the government's pledge will increase that amount by just 4% by 2030. but with many of those protected sites in poor condition, it will take much more than that to make the land not just green and pleasant, but healthy and biodiverse. victoria gill, bbc news. good evening, a weatherfront stretched the length of the uk today, northern ireland emerged into the sunshine behind that front during the afternoon. the front is still bringing patchy rain into parts of the south west of england, wales and the north west of england. and it is a damp evening here as we move into the small hours of tuesday. the front trips eastward and a damp conditions will be across east england by the end of the night. the mild night here. elsewhere, clear skies and itchy and i feel elsewhere, clear skies and itchy and ifeel on elsewhere, clear skies and itchy and i feel on tuesday. the elsewhere, clear skies and itchy and ifeel on tuesday. the best elsewhere, clear skies and itchy and i feel on tuesday. the best of the sunshine for the likes of scotland and northern ireland. a while for

things to brighten up