Is Nicola Sturgeon running Britain? Scottish First Minister causes holiday chaos for thousands by demanding France is put on quarantine list by 4am tomorrow rather than Sunday amid fears GREECE will be next

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Nicola Sturgeon was accused of causing chaos for British holidaymakers to 'flex her muscles' today after demanding quarantine was imposed on France by 4am tomorrow.

A desperate stampede has been triggered for huge numbers of tourists to get home before new rules come into force making arrivals from across the Channel isolate for 14 days.

The dramatic announcement was made amid chaotic scenes last night, with sources claiming the Scottish government insisted the deadline be brought forward to tomorrow morning after UK ministers mooted 4am on Sunday.

Grant Shapps fuelled the confusion as he confirmed the move, suggesting it would only apply to people who 'come back from Sunday'. 

The Department for Transport then clarified the restrictions would come into force tomorrow instead. 

The news also broke hours later than expected, and following signals during the day that France might escape being struck off the list of 'safe' countries. 

Tory MP David Jones said Ms Sturgeon seemed to be trying to 'flex her muscles' and suggested it was 'absolutely' a case of 'the tail wagging the dog', as most travel came through England. 

‘It does look very much as if the devolved administrations are doing what they have been doing for a while, being different for the sake of being different and out of the wish to flex their muscles,' the former minister told MailOnline. 

'It is very hard to see that an extra day would have made much difference. 

'It would not have put so much stress on travellers. If people are rushing back to the UK to avoid this they should consider who to blame.' 

It appears to be the latest example of Ms Sturgeon gazumping the UK government.

In the earlier stages of the coronavirus crisis the First Minister repeatedly preempted Boris Johnson's announcements on lockdown at her own briefings. 

She criticised the UK government's decision to drop 'stay alert' messaging, brought in face mask rules significantly before England, and is still encouraging people to work from home where possible. 

Ms Sturgeon says she has put aside the independence issue during coronavirus chaos, with planning for a fresh vote 'paused', but has faced accusations of trying to use the situation for political advantage. 

Travellers rushing to get back to the UK today face paying hundreds of pounds as air fares are now more than six times higher than normal for flights from Paris to London - the cheapest BA tickets being sold for £452.

The cheapest ticket on a Eurostar train from Paris to London is £210, compared with £165 last Saturday, a rise of almost 30 per cent.  

The cost of taking a car through the Channel Tunnel on Eurotunnel Le Shuttle services this morning is £260. All trains after midday are fully booked.

P&O Ferries has limited availability, but one person travelling with a car from Calais to Dover can buy a ticket for £200. They also reported a surge in interest with more than 8,000 searches for tickets this morning.

Meanwhile private jet charter company PrivateFly said demand for flights out of countries being removed from the UK's quarantine-exemption list has trebled since the announcement was made on Thursday night. 

In more bad news for British holidaymakers, Greece could soon be added to the quarantine list, after a spike in its infection rate, with a record 235 cases recorded on August 12. Daily new cases in the country were in the 30s towards the end of July. 

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted the Government had taken 'a practical approach' to the new restrictions. However, the move was criticised by France's secretary of state for European affairs, who said it would lead to 'reciprocal measures' across the Channel.

Clement Beaune tweeted: 'A British decision which we regret and which will lead to reciprocal measures, all in hoping for a return for normal as soon as possible.'  

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, said: 'It's another devastating blow to the travel industry already reeling from the worst crisis in its history.

'Having the political will to move to a sub-national approach to quarantine, in addition to a testing regime for arriving passengers so that those testing negative can avoid having to self isolate - which other countries like Germany have already implemented - is urgently needed.' 

As the government's decision to put France on the quarantine list sparks chaos: 

• Travellers in southern France face struggle getting back to UK before the 4am Saturday quarantine deadline;
• Car-carrying Channel Tunnel trains and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle said they are fully booked until tomorrow;  
• Transport Secretary said estimated 160,000 holidaymakers are expected to look to return to UK from France;
• Grant Shapps said 'in all of the things to do with coronavirus, there always has had to be a cut-off'
• France has vowed to retaliate after it was added to quarantine list and said it 'regrets the UK's decision'
• Nicola Sturgeon 'stopped holidaymakers from getting an extra 24 HOURS to get back from France'

People queue in line to check-in for a British Airways flight to Heathrow airport, today at Nice airport, southern France

Passengers arrive at St Pancras International Station from Paris today on Eurostar. Passengers arrive at St Pancras International Station from Paris after it was announced people would have to self isolate after spending time in France

People wait at Dover to cross the Channel to France as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there 'has to be a cut-off' in regards to a time period for those being mandated to self-isolate on their return to the UK from abroad

Pictured: Passengers arrive at St Pancras International Station from Paris today after it was announced Britons returning from France would have to isolate for 14 days from Saturday

Pictured: A graph showing the countries from which travellers arriving in the UK are currently exempt from the 14-day coronavirus quarantine, and the number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in each country. Speculation is mounting that France could be removed from the list of exempt countries, but there a number of others that have higher or similar figures

Sources said Nicola Sturgeon (pictured at Holyrood this week) insisted that the deadline was earlier after UK ministers initially mooted 4am on Sunday

Government sources insisted the delays were down to the latest figures fro France emerging late in the day, and the quarantine changes then needing to be signed off by the devolved institutions.

They said the isolation had to be introduced on a series of countries including France, the Netherlands and Malta after the seven-day count of cases per 100,000 population rose above 20. 

At the daily briefing in Edinburgh today, Ms Sturgeon insisted it had been 'imperative' to act as quickly as possible.

'Where we have a situation where we think a situation in a particular country has deteriorated we cannot hang around before we impose quarantine,' she said.

'There is a real imperative to act as quickly as possible.' 

Ms Sturgeon said people across the UK should 'think very carefully' before booking holidays as the rules can change abruptly.

Scottish minister Humza Yousaf added that there was a call with the four UK nations at 9pm, and the changes were announced as soon as possible after that - stressing that they were often reliant on when other countries published new figures. 

Travellers returning to Britain from France today told of their scramble home to avoid having to quarantine. 

Student Yasmine Sellay, 24, from Wimbledon, South London, was among a packed Eurostar train that arrived at St Pancras station from Paris this morning. 

She said: 'I wanted to get home before the restrictions are enforced. 'I didn't know that France had been added to the UK quarantine list until last night and as I don't want to isolate for a fortnight I came home today. 

'I'd been in Paris for a month and a half because it's where I'm originally from and I was visiting family and friends.   

'When I arrived in France at the end of June, I had to stay in with my relatives for more than a week and couldn't go out. 

'I found it really hard to do so I was keen not to have to do the same when I came back to London.  The Eurostar was full so I think many other people had the same idea as me.'  

Engineers Carolina Monteiro, 24, and Douglas Pagani, 29, who live in France, told PA of their relief at arriving in the UK for a 10-day campervan trip to the Lake District and Yorkshire - just before quarantine measures come into effect on Saturday morning.

Speaking outside St Pancras station, Mr Pagani said: 'We're very happy to have the correct ticket just in time. At first I was scared looking at all the information to make sure we could enter here, then we saw it was perfect.

'It was a relief that we could meet our friends here.'

Ms Monteiro added: 'We have had this trip planned for three or four months, so we're lucky to be here just in time.'

Travellers in the south of France face a struggle getting back to the UK before the 4am Saturday quarantine deadline. 

Flight booking website Skyscanner suggested there were no direct flights from Biarritz to London.

The cheapest option it offered was to take one flight to Paris, another to Belfast and a third arriving at London Stansted shortly before midnight, at a total cost of £284.

The lowest priced ticket involving just two flights is £579 with Air France, changing in Paris.

Whichever mode of transport travellers use, they will need to move quickly as many services will be fully booked by Friday afternoon.   

He added that weekly changes to quarantine rules on a national level 'have proven so disruptive to airlines and passengers'. 

Undeterred passengers at London St Pancras made their way onto the 10.24am Eurostar service to Paris, including lawyer John Strange, 60, from Reading.

He said he was going to the French capital for 10 days and it was possible for him to work from home on his return.

He said: 'It's not a disaster for me but it seems for many people it will be, particularly those with young families, it's going to be catastrophic.

'I'm sure many will have to cancel their plans and have to accept all that pain and cost that goes with it.'

A traveller who gave her name as Sonata K, a 39-year-old dentist, was due to head to Paris for four nights with her mother - but cancelled her plans after finding out about the quarantine measures at St Pancras on Friday morning.

She said: 'It's not worth it to go out and have to self isolate. With my work I can't do the procedures from home.

'We were too late to get the news, we're just finding out here but it's better than on the train.

'We're looking at going to Cardiff and checking trains now, but the weather is changing a bit.'

She added that for £30 they could change their Eurostar tickets to another day and said one hotel had charged them one night's stay for late cancellation. 

Jack Birkbeck, 23, and George Raybould, 24, were travelling to France to spend five days in the commune of Bantanges, eastern France between Lyon and Dijon to celebrate Jack's 24th birthday on Saturday with his parents.

The friends, who both work in retail from Maidstone, Kent, are flying out to Geneva with EasyJet today.

They went to sleep thinking they would not have to quarantine but woke up to the news they would have to self isolate for 14 days.

Despite considering cancelling the trip, they decided to go ahead with it due to the money already spent on the break.

Jack said: 'I literally woke up at 6am to my mum texting me saying 'are you still coming?' as they've introduced a quarantine. I went to sleep thinking we were safe.

'The last case where we are going was on July 27 so they're going strong for the past few weeks. It's probably even safer than Maidstone.

Passengers wearing face masks as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus walk along the platform to an escalator after arriving on a Eurostar train from Paris at St Pancras International station in London

Travellers trying to return from France on Friday to avoid the quarantine restrictions face paying hundreds of pounds

Air fares are more than six times higher than normal for flights from Paris to London today, with the cheapest British Airways tickets being sold for £452

'If we had more time to think about it then maybe we would have cancelled going but we didn't even have time to change our mind really.

'I hope the government are doing their best and believe they've introduced this now in the best interests of everyone.

'My boss will probably be angry at me having to isolate. But I'm going to spend quarantine doing work training to make up for it.'

George added: 'It's just our luck that the day we go they announce quarantine just hours before we jet off.

'As bad as it sounds, where we are going is super rural. It's not exactly the epicentre of the French pandemic. We are not going out and socialising and will be self contained.

'Of course we're still going to quarantine when we return home but I like to think the chances of us getting it are very low and if anything, we are more likely to give it to them. That would be the classic British thing to do.

'I've only just come off furlough so I don't think work will take it too well. I feel bad for my colleagues but theres not much I could have done at such short notice.'

A Heathrow spokesman said: 'The UK needs a more sustainable long-term plan for the resumption of travel than quarantine roulette.  

'Testing could provide an opportunity to safely reduce the length of quarantine in certain circumstances, protecting both the health and wealth of the nation as we pave a path towards a new normal.

'As ever, our teams will be on hand to support passengers impacted by the travel restrictions but we urge Government to work with us to trial a solution which could help to provide more certainty.'

A family-of-five cut short their France holiday and drove 12 hours non-stop in a desperate bid to beat the quarantine deadline.

Eurotunnel and Brittany Ferries have warned people not to turn up at terminals unless they have a booking.

But Julia Burnett, 35, and husband Craig, 36, had already cut short their camping holiday fearing the worst and were just 60 miles from Calais when the announcement was made.

They drove yesterday for 12 hours from the South of France to Calais with their three children Rory, seven, Isabella, five and Finley, one. They were due to come back next Wednesday but yesterday decided to set off from Biarritz, after reading rumours about a potential quarantine.

The family, from Taunton in Somerset, managed to book onto a ferry less than an hour before the government announcement. When they were 60 miles from Calais they discovered their gamble had paid off when they saw news of the rule change. They were in the queue for the ferry crossing feeling 'tired but relieved' this morning. 

Julia told the Mirror: 'We'd been trying to book onto the Channel tunnel but we eventually booked on the ferry instead. Then I checked back on the tunnel website straight after the announcement and I was 5,310th in the queue - it was crazy. Quarantine would have really affected Craig's work as he runs a dental services business and can't do it from home.' 

One British couple drove for nine hours through the night to avoid quarantine.

They had been enjoying a week in their motor home in the Dordogne when the news broke on Thursday night - so they quickly forked out £238 on a ferry from Calais to Dover and hit the road.

The husband and wife, who asked not to be named, left at midnight.

They had been due to come home on Sunday - and they blasted Prime Minister Boris Johnson after arriving in Kent at midday.

The 55-year-old woman, a doctors surgery admin worker from Norfolk, said: 'We had to do it to avoid quarantine. We just picked up all our stuff, chucked it in the motor home and drove.

'We're gutted because we were loving our break over there, but I just couldn't afford to have to go into quarantine. It wouldn't be ideal at all.

'I understand why Boris has done this, but to give us a deadline of 4am on Saturday is nowhere near enough notice.

'He has to bear in mind that a lot of the people who got the news late last night wouldn't have been able to just get up and leave like us.

'Some would've been families with young kids who were asleep. Then it's a real rush to get things ready the next day.'

The mother-of-five added: 'Boris and the Government really should have thought this through more.'

Marcus Keys, 49, had been on a week-long holiday in Limoges with his two children and wife.

They were due back today - and he was glad to get home.

Housing association development worker Marcus, from Birmingham, said: 'It's definitely a relief to avoid the quarantine - we didn't want to get caught up in that.'    

IT manager Lewis Kitson, 37, told the Sun: 'This is just a complete shambles. It's chaos. They're making it up as they go along now.

'They can't justify this. It's guess work. I'm not bothered about quarantine if I'm too late. I've just come through France on a road trip. I'm trying to book to get home.

'They'll have to put me in prison before I comply with quarantine.

'The whole thing is ridiculous. It's still not enough time. I'm really trying to get a ferry booked. It's a disgrace.'  

Passengers arrive back at Gatwick airport today from France (pictured from left to right: Joanne Edmondson, Lily Edmondson, Amelie Duncan, Madeleine Edmondson, David Edmondson)

Passengers arrive at St Pancras International Station from Paris. Last night it was announced that people would have to self isolate after spending time in France, to help stop the spread of Covid 19 (pictured: Estelle Blanc, left, Dylan Jones, right)

Bertie Lawrence, 33, and Elske Koelman, 29, project managers within international development, have already had relatives cancel attendance of their wedding following the new rules

Families travelling to France and Amsterdam from London via Eurostar told of last minute changes to their trips after new quarantine restrictions were announced late last night.

One couple, who are getting married in The Netherlands next month, have already had relatives cancel after the UK government announced a 14-day quarantine will come into effect from tomorrow (SAT) for those returning from France, Malta and Holland.

Other passengers told of late night research into their travel insurance to ensure their holidays could viably go ahead.

Elske Koelman, 29 and her fiancé Bertie Chambers, 33, are travelling to The Netherlands this morning to finalise plans for their wedding in Leiden next month.

The couple, both management consultant living in the UK, had to reduce their wedding guest list from 130 to 20 due to the pandemic.

But the new quarantine rule now means it is likely only half of those invited will be able to attend, with Bertie's auntie and cousins unable to travel due to the quarantine.

He said: 'This morning we have had calls from my side of the family cancelling: so far my brother and my aunt cannot make it.

'My mum and dad are retired so luckily they can make it.

'We are going to the Netherlands today to finalise all the details. We have to speak to the venue, the florist and the restaurant especially because of the quarantine now.'

The couple, who both work in international development and met in Kenya five years ago, have been planning their wedding since they got engaged last year.

They originally considered a UK wedding but in December decided to tie the knot at a town hall in the city centre of Elske's hometown in Leiden. 

People queue in line to check-in for a British Airways flight to Heathrow airport, today at Nice airport, southern France

People queue in line to check-in for a British Airways flight to Heathrow airport, today at Nice airport, southern France

People wait at Dover to cross the Channel to France as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there 'has to be a cut-off' in regards to a time period for those being mandated to self-isolate on their return to the UK from abroad

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted the Government had taken 'a practical approach' to the new restrictions. However, the move was criticised by France's secretary of state for European affairs

Family who switched holiday to France after Spain was added to quarantine list say rules are 'out of our control'

Jamie Harrison and wife Bernie, both 43, were taking their three children JJ, nine, Luke, six, and Nelly, three, on a 10-day camping holiday to Nice, France

Jamie Harrison and wife Bernie, both 43, were taking their three children JJ, nine, Luke, six, and Nelly, three, on a 10-day camping holiday to Nice, France.

The family from Catford, south east London had originally planned to go to Spain but switched to France after quarantine rules were introduced there.

Nutritional therapist Bernie said: 'We kind of thought it was going to come after what happened with Spain. I was mentally prepared. It was short notice there so I expected it - it's out of our control.

'And we made sure we had two weeks before the kids go back to school in case quarantine was brought in.

'There's not much difference between isolation and what we have been doing during lockdown anyway.

'We're well prepared about what we need to do to protect our immune system and protect ourselves from viruses and pathogens.

'It's up to every individual to protect their immunity and not rely on the government and the NHS.'

Husband Jamie, who works in property, said: 'Of course I didn't really want it to happen but I could see it coming. We're still going to enjoy ourselves and have a great trip.

'There's never going to be a good time to introduce quarantine and if it's got to be done then so be it. But I don't understand why they've picked Saturday to implement it.

'I feel like if you test negative then you should be allowed to finish self isolating. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.'

Eldest son JJ added: 'I think quarantine is bad and that's why I wanted to stay at home instead of going on holiday. It means I can't play with my friends for two weeks.' 

 

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Elske said: 'The wedding will be in Leiden which is where I was born and my family are still there.

'I haven't seen them for a couple of months so we've been looking forward to it, but this makes it all a bit more tricky with the quarantine.

'Initially we were planning to get married next month and it was going to be 130 guests, but we scaled it down to 20 guests with half of those from the UK.

'But now we're expecting it will be smaller than 20 people now that this quarantine is in place.

'The wedding will be at the municipal building with a lunch in the town centre. Leiden is a beautiful place, small with lots of canals and boat tours.'

The couple say the wedding will still go ahead and plan to work from home once they travel home from the Netherlands before returning for their wedding next month.

Bertie added; 'We can't do anything about it, it is out of our hands.

'We can't cancel the wedding and our plans should still go ahead.

'You can't put your life on hold. We're lucky we can both work from home so it's worthwhile to get married even if we have to quarantine when we get back. '

Elske added: 'We felt it was something we were really looking forward to so we thought we can't cancel the whole thing, but perhaps be flexible with the number of guests who can be there.

'We got engaged last year and have been planning the wedding since.

'We were considering a UK wedding but decided in December that we wanted to get married in the Netherlands before everything with the coronavirus kicked off.'

After learning of new travel restrictions last night, Elske packed her laptop for their initial trip to Leiden today so she can remain there until the wedding to avoid a double quarantine.

While Bertie will have to return to the Uk before the wedding, as initially planned, and self isolate for two weeks before travelling back out to the Netherlands for their big day.

Bertie said: 'I never intended to stay so I will have to come back, quarantine and then go back again. So it will be a multiple quarantine.'

Robert Lawrence, 65, from Islington north London, was also catching the 11am Eurostar today on an interrail to visit friends in the Netherlands and Germany.

The retired broadcast worker said: 'Obviously it is a risk but I have probably taken more of a risk going around the supermarket than I am doing this.

'If you are bending down to the shelves in busy shops, it is probably more of a risk than this trip with socially distanced walks and alfresco meals.

Robert Lawrence, 65, from Islington

'My main concern was travel insurance and health cover.

'My policy said it does not cover travel if the Foreign Commonwealth Office our restrictions in place before I took out the policy or before I booked it.

'But I had booked it all already so it seems I am still covered and I will just quarantine when I'm back.

'The initial destination is Amsterdam via Eurostar then onto The Hague and the Cologne via train to visit friends. Then I'll return home by air.

'I wasn't planning to travel until next year but my friends invited me.

'I don't regret it because we were aware restrictions might change. It was just an informed risk and we decided to go ahead because the new restrictions were only announced last night so it was very very short notice for us.

'Everything had already been booked and we knew about the advice so we are relatively happy.

'I can quarantine when I return and I have a local supermarket that deliver food and a friend who has offered to drop things to me if needed.'

Eurostar passengers arriving in London from Paris today fear they may have to quarantine on their return to France if Emmanuel Macron introduces 'tit for tat' travel restrictions. 

British expat Stephen Fillery, 72, returned to his home of 15 years in Dordogne, France today.

He flew out to Bordeaux at 1.30pm with EasyJet after renovating his flat by the River Thames in Staines, Surrey for his next tenant. 

The retired Metropolitan Police officer of 30 years said: 'I'm really pleased that this overnight news about isolation from the France and the Netherlands came when it did.

Jack Birkbeck, 23, and George Raybould, 24, are spending five days in the commune of Bantanges, eastern France between Lyon and Dijon to celebrate Jack's 24th birthday on Saturday with his parents

Frenchman Leo Brettele returned to UK in time for quarantine at Gatwick airport today

Vehicles are driven off of a ferry at Dover after arriving from France as travellers trying to return from France on Friday to avoid the quarantine restrictions face a scramble for tickets costing hundreds of pounds

Holiday makers arriving back on a ferry at Dover docks this morning after France was added to the UK quarantine list from Saturday

British expat Stephen Fillery, 72, returned to his home of 15 years in Dordogne, France today. He flew out to Bordeaux at 1.30pm with EasyJet after renovating his flat by the River Thames in Staines, Surrey for his next tenant

'If it came earlier, I would have had to spend two weeks staying in the flat and couldn't have renovated it and done all the running around.

'If they had imposed quarantine a week ago I would not have come over so I'm relieved for my own personal benefit.

'I think it is probably highly necessary to bring in this self isolation. If the statistics have suddenly gone up then they need to make a firm and quick decision and a lot of people must have been expecting it.

'If France are going to bring in a reciprocal measure then it should be for medical scientific reasons and not just political push back at the UK.'

One man flying to Nice, France to see his brother for 10 days said he was 'bitterly disappointed' at the government's 'short notice' to implement quarantine.

The 40-year-old electrician from Surrey, who did not want to give his name, said: 'I was gutted to see them bring it in just hours before I flew out.

'If I knew a week beforehand then I would have cancelled. They should have given more warning.

'But if rates are increasing then it is reasonable for them to bring it in to stop people bringing it back here.

'I was prepared for it and thought it might come in while I'm out there but I thought I would have had more time to make a decision.

'I'm a social guy who likes to go out to see my friends and play football but I will now have to stay indoors for two weeks.

'It is what it is. I will find other ways to occupy myself, rest up, so some work at home and watch Netflix.' 

Relatives wearing face masks eagerly waited for their loved ones to arrive from France in the arrivals hall at London St Pancras station.

Retired teacher Judith Hobbs, 71, flung her arms around her son and grandchildren when they arrived on one of the last Eurostar's from Paris before the new quarantine rules are implemented at 4am on Saturday.

The grandmother, from Oxfordshire, said: 'I am waiting to meet my son and my two grandchildren. They live just outside of Paris.

'We are really lucky as they were always booked onto this train arriving at 12.30pm today so we have avoided the quarantine.

'But we are still taking a bit of a risk as we do not know what restrictions will be in place in France when they return home in a few weeks.

'Emmanuel Macron has suggested the same measures could be implemented there, like a tit for tat.

'So in that case, when we drive them home we might have to quarantine in France and then quarantine again when we return to the UK.'    

Mother-of-two Leanne Smith and her husband Paul, both 39, paid £3,000 on a Eurocamp holiday at a site near Paris. They were due to start the week-long trip with their young children today - but decided to drive back to Manchester after the quarantine was announced.

Leanne told the Sun: 'We were in bed in our hotel last night just waiting for the news to break. We knew it was going to be announced but we didn't want to risk losing all our money. That would've just been a nightmare.'

Car-carrying Channel Tunnel trains are fully booked until Saturday.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle said in a statement: 'Due to the recent Government announcement, our shuttles are now fully booked until tomorrow morning.

'There is no more ticket availability and we are not selling tickets at check-in.

'Please do not arrive at the terminal unless you have a ticket valid for travel today.'

Private jet charter company PrivateFly said demand for flights out of countries being removed from the UK's quarantine-exemption list has trebled since the announcement was made on Thursday night. 

Chief executive Adam Twidell said: 'Following the changes to the UK's quarantine list overnight, we've received a surge in demand for private jet travel out of affected countries, with three times the average number of enquiries and bookings for flights to the UK from France, the Netherlands and Malta, before 4am on Saturday morning.

'We've also had a number of inquiries from clients booked to travel to these destinations in the coming weeks to change their travel plans in order to avoid quarantine zones. 

People queue in line to check-in for a British Airways flight to Heathrow airport, today at Nice airport, southern France

People queue in line to check-in for a British Airways flight to Heathrow airport, today at Nice airport, southern France

'We can arrange flights at very short notice with the flexibility to change route at the last minute, however availability is limited as the spike in demand coincides with what is already the peak summer season for private leisure travel.' 

Explaining the quarantine decision on BBC Breakfast this morning, Mr Shapps said: 'The reality is that in all of the things to do with coronavirus, there always has had to be a cut-off and we've seen this throughout, haven't we, in the way that rules have had to be implemented and, so, 'if we can do this, why can't we do that?', that's always going to be the case. 

'What we have to do is provide clear guidance and, in this case, clear law in order to require people to quarantine.   

'I just want to stress it is very important that people do quarantine. Everybody returning to the UK, no matter where from, doesn't matter whether you're in a travel corridor country or a quarantine country, must at this stage fill in a passenger locator form.

'That is the law and you may well find that people call up to check where you are, and you'll be breaking the law if you were not quarantining, if that was a requirement for the country you'd come from.'

Mr Shapps said it will not be necessary for people to quarantine on their return to the UK from France if they do so before Saturday at 4am.

The Transport Secretary told BBC Breakfast an estimated 160,000 holidaymakers are expected to look to return to the UK from France.

He added: 'It's a practical approach as well which has enabled all fours parts of the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England - to implement the same time at 4am where there are no flights in the air at least tomorrow.

'But, look, I accept your point, you can always argue one way or the other. We have to make a decision on it and we have to do that based on science and medicine, and that's what we've done, we've taken the advice and implemented on that basis.'

Asked if he would encourage those returning to the UK if they should self-isolate, even if they fall outside of the official quarantine deadline, Mr Shapps said: 'That's not legally required. 

Ferries are seen in the Port of Dover, as Britain imposes a 14-day quarantine on arrival from France from Saturday

Ferries are seen in the Port of Dover, as Britain imposes a 14-day quarantine on arrival from France from Saturday

The quarantine is set to come in at 4am tomorrow – and with an estimated British 500,000 holidaymakers in France, a weekend of chaos looms as they try to get home

'But what I would say to everybody is look out for the signs, everyone knows what we're talking about - the persistent cough, the high temperature, the change in taste or smell, so everyone should look out for those signs.

'But, no, it's not necessary to quarantine unless you're coming back after 4am on Saturday and those are the rules.

'I think the truth of this is, as everyone watching realises, there's no perfect way to deal with coronavirus.

'Unless you were going to have a sliding scale that sort of said if you stay another 24 hours the you must quarantine for X amount of time, another 36 hours for Y amount of time, you know, clearly there has to be a cut-off somewhere.'

Mr Shapps added: 'To be clear, the Joint Biosecurity centre have cleared our approach to this.'

The boss of Channel Tunnel operator has Getlink warned many travellers may not be able to get back to the UK - and told them not to turn up at terminals without a booking as trains are 'already pretty much fully booked'. 

After a week of speculation ministers acted on a worsening coronavirus situation across the Channel, ministers ordered travellers returning from the popular destination to isolate for 14 days. The move came after Boris Johnson said the UK would be 'ruthless' when it came to travel quarantine even with its 'closest and dearest friends'. 

Mr Keefe said there was 'some possibility of adding additional trains in the off-peak periods' but would-be travellers must check online before heading to the terminal.

'The important thing is that people understand that it's not going to be easy to get back and they have to be sensible about this and not get themselves into difficulties,' he said.  

France recorded 2,669 new cases of coronavirus yesterday, up from 2,524 on Wednesday. It is a record figure for the nation since it came out of lockdown.  

The review of the rules saw the Netherlands, Monaco and Malta added to the quarantine list - and Portugal remains on it, along with Spain.

The Turks and Caicos Islands and Aruba in the Caribbean have also lost their places.

 'We have got to be absolutely ruthless about this, even with our closest and dearest friends and partners. I think everybody understands that,' Mr Johnson told reporters as he visited Northern Ireland yesterday. 

John Keefe, Getlink's director of public affairs, told BBC's Newsnight: 'We just haven't got the space to take everybody who might suddenly want to come up to the coast. So what we are saying to people is amend your booking online, make sure there's space before you travel to the terminal.' 

Visitors wearing protective face masks queue to enter the Louvre Pyramid in Paris yesterday, hours before the quarantine announcement

Passengers returning from France scrambled to book earlier Eurostar trains, forking out hundreds of pounds extra and cutting their holidays short to avoid having to quarantine under new UK travel rules.

Carriages arriving at London St Pancras today were packed, with passengers unable to socially distance as most chairs were taken in the rush to return home.

Panicked Brits filled the platform at London St Pancras station this morning, wearing face masks and pulling their suitcases through the crowds in the mad rush to get home.

Vikesh, 27, paid over the odds to change his Eurostar ticket to return home today after only arriving in Paris last night to visit his girlfriend.

He was devastated when he received a call from his boss advising him to return home to escape quarantine rules.

He said: 'I arrived in Paris at 6pm last night to see my girlfriend who lives there. I was meant to come home on Monday.

'It is the absolute worst thing that could have happened. I am not going to see her now for so long.

'I could have not gone, but getting there at 6pm and then being told to come home by 4am Saturday is awful.

'The train was so overbooked and people were trying to space themselves out.

'I've taken the Eurostar a few times and at the moment you are not meant to sit next to another person.

'But I think people were sitting in each other's seats. I sat next to someone, but I had no choice and others stood for the whole two hours.

'I heard the news at 10.30pm last night and tried to ignore it, but I got a text from my boss saying you'd better come home.

'I woke up at 7.30am and there was only one train left for today. I paid an extra £110 on top of my original tickets.

'I also had to pay for a flight home just in case I got stuck there.

'I've not been working from home this whole time so the quarantine would affect me.

'I don't know when we'll next see each other, I guess we will have to find a country it is safe for both of us to go to.'

Teachers Dilip Chakraborti, 39, and Camille Brignolle, 41, from north London, also changed their tickets at the last minute to avoid being in quarantine when schools reopen.

The pair only had 24 hours in Paris where they arrived yesterday to visit Camille's family, and were angered to discover through Twitter of the imminent new travel restrictions.

Camille, a secondary school teacher, said: 'We were due back on Tuesday and we only arrived yesterday, so we spent literally 24 hours in Paris.

'We went to visit my dad. He lives just outside of Paris and I haven't seen him since Christmas.

'It was tricky trying to change our ticket to avoid the quarantine. Initially a ticket popped up this afternoon but it went away.

'It was supposed to be an exchange, but we had to pay an extra £224 on top of our original tickets between the two of us.

'Having just 24 hours with my dad is not great.

'I am annoyed at the fact the announcement was at 11pm of an evening on Twitter.

'I am not impressed with the government with the way they have dealt with it and the manner of it.

'Why not tell us during the day? Why tell us at 11pm on Twitter.'

She added: 'Because I am a teacher, I wanted to make sure I would not have any problems so we waited for a few weeks before booking to wait and see what was going on with the restrictions.'

Dilip, a primary school teacher, said: 'We rebooked and got an earlier train today.

'So we will have to wait and see if we can get any money back.

'If we had stayed, it would have been touch and go for me having to quarantine before the schools open at the beginning of September.

'But Camille's school opens a week early so we have to come back.' 

'We will be looking at the data a bit later on this afternoon - looking exactly where France and other countries are getting to.

'We can't be remotely complacent about our own situation. 

'Everybody understands that in a pandemic you don't allow our population to be reinfected or the disease to come back in.

'That is why the quarantine measures are very important and we have to apply them in very sftrict way.'

Speculation has been mounting about quarantine exemptions being scrapped as infections rise across much of Europe. 

Hundreds of thousands of Britons are either on holiday in France or planning to go there, but yesterday it recorded more than 2,500 cases - a record since lockdown was eased.

The country appears to be perilously close to the yardstick of 20 cases per 100,000 population in a seven-day period. 

But ministers are believed to be prepared to hold off on restrictions when changes are announced, with the situation kept under close observation. 

The quarantine list already includes Spain and Portugal. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not believed to have signed off on the adjustments yet. 

Travellers are expected to be given around 30 hours notice of any changes coming into force, so they can make new arrangements if required.  

The Netherlands (23.1 per 100,000), Gibraltar (35.6), Monaco (38.2), Malta (46.7), San Marino (53.0), the Faroe Islands (198.5), Turks and Caicos (278.9) and Aruba (547.9) all have higher rates of new cases per 100,000 than France.

Those on the list with a slightly lower rate than France are Denmark (15.3 per 100,000), Iceland (14.7), the Czech Republic (14.0), Switzerland (13.3) and Poland (12.7). 

All the above have now overtaken Portugal's rate of 12.4 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, but despite this, Portugal remains on the list of countries from which all arrivals to the UK, including those returning from holiday, must quarantine for two weeks.

Downing Street reminded potential holidaymakers this week that 'there is no risk free way of travelling overseas' with Boris Johnson adding that he 'would not hesitate' to bring in travel restrictions for other countries. 

The latest data on coronavirus cases on foreign soil is being analysed by the Government's Joint Biosecurity Centre (JCB), which reports to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. 

Britons in France and other countries could be forced to make a dash home or risk being forced to quarantine on their return to the UK, should the government decide to remove more countries from the list.    

UK Ministers are believed to be planning new measures for a swathe of countries amid a surge in European coronavirus cases

On Tuesday, the UK updated its travel 'green list', but did not take Portugal off the quarantine list, in a blow to the country's economy that benefits greatly from tourism from the UK.

The UK Government was warned that cases in Portugal had not fallen fast enough to be able to safely add the country to the 'green list'.  

On Monday, France reported the first significant rise in the number of coronavirus patients in hospital since the lockdown was lifted, although it fell again on Tuesday before rising two days on the bounce. 

Earlier this week France's prime minister told his citizens to 'pull themselves together' amid a fresh surge in coronavirus cases. 

Jean Castex said the public was becoming careless and raised the spectre of a second lockdown after a rise of more than 10,000 cases in the last week. 

'If we don't act collectively, we expose ourselves to the heightened risk that the rebound in the epidemic becomes hard to control,' Castex said on a visit to an intensive care ward in the South of France. 

Some parts of France have tightened their mask rules despite the summer heatwave, with police now set to ramp up checks on face coverings - while neighbouring Belgium yesterday made masks compulsory in all public spaces including outdoors.

France's prime minister Jean Castex (pictured at a hospital in Montpellier this week) has told his citizens to 'pull themselves together' amid a fresh surge in coronavirus cases in France

Travel chiefs: This is a devastating blow to the industry 

ByTom Payne Transport Correspondent For The Daily Mail

The bombshell decision to reimpose quarantine on France is a 'devastating blow' to Britain's crippled travel sector, industry leaders said last night.

Airlines and tour operators have suffered colossal losses during the pandemic as a result of plummeting passenger numbers and sweeping global travel restrictions.

A long-awaited announcement on travel corridors brought some respite in mid-July – but a steady yet sharp rise in coronavirus cases on the continent has brought hopes of a revived travel season to a sudden end.

Travel bosses last night said the decision to reimpose quarantine on France – weeks after Spain, Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas were also kicked off the 'safe' country list – effectively signals the death knell for foreign holidays for the rest of the year.

But ministers are believed to be prepared to hold off on restrictions when changes are announced, with the situation kept under close observation

It also spells misery for millions of Britons with ruined trips, who now face a battle to claim refunds from airlines which may refuse to give them their money back.

Most holidaymakers are unlikely to be covered on travel insurance as the majority of policies bought after March 10 carry no cover for Covid 19-related cancellations.

Travel bosses last night criticised the Government's inaction on airport testing – seen by many as a viable alternative to blanket quarantine measures – and blasted ministers' 'chaotic approach' for throwing the industry into chaos and uncertainty.

One senior industry figure told the Daily Mail: 'It has been chaos at every turn. The latest announcement on France is a watershed moment and a dark day for our industry. We are in uncharted waters. It is hard to see where we go from this.'

Gloria Guevara, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said the 'worst fears'of the industry were coming true, and estimated three million UK jobs could be lost due to the ongoing uncertainty.

Tim Alderslade of trade body Airlines UK added: 'It's another devastating blow to the travel industry already reeling from the worst crisis in its history.

'Having the political will to move to a sub-national approach to quarantine, in addition to a testing regime for arriving passengers so that those testing negative can avoid having to self-isolate – which other countries like Germany have already implemented – is urgently needed.'

He said this would 'provide carriers and customers with additional certainty around the ability to operate this autumn and winter'.

Karen Dee of the Airport Operators Association said: 'Our airports are facing pressures that were unimaginable six months ago and it is essential that the Government work with the industry to introduce regional travel corridors to low-risk areas and agree a package of financial measures that support our airports who have already lost over £2billion since the start of the pandemic.

'We have consistently called for support including relief from business rates and an extension to employment support beyond October and it is long overdue that the Government provides the same level of support to aviation that it has provided to other sectors.'

Rory Boland of consumer group Which? said: 'It's understandable that the Government wants to restrict travel to these countries at this time, but the burden of this decision disproportionally falls on holidaymakers – thousands of whom are likely to be left significantly out of pocket because their airline will refuse to refund them.

'Unlike tour operators, airlines now routinely ignore Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel warnings and refuse refunds because, they argue, the flight is still operating. Some major airlines, like Ryanair, won't even allow customers to rebook without charging a hefty fee.

'The Government wants us to act responsibly and not travel to countries with an FCO warning, but it needs to make it clear to airlines that they too need to act responsibly and not ignore government travel advice in an effort to pocket customer cash.'