Greenwich Foot Tunnel will be closed for almost the entire Easter bank holiday weekend as the local authority looks to clamp down on revellers breaking social distancing protocols.

Greenwich Council announced on Friday the tunnel would be shut from 10pm on Thursday until 10pm on Monday.

It comes after the authority was forced to close the tunnel last weekend, after crowds of people walking and cycling through for non-essential journeys made social distancing measures “almost impossible” and “put many lives at risk”.

Council leader Dan Thorpe, who earlier this week said there was a risk the Government could ban outside exercise altogether if residents continued to flout the rules, appealed for people not to ignore them again this weekend.

“Keeping people alive is our priority during this pandemic and last weekend we saw far too many ignoring the lifesaving social distancing rules and making non-essential journeys through the foot tunnel,” he said.

“Greenwich is a popular tourist destination for lots of good reasons, but this is a national emergency, not a holiday. We have now been forced to close the tunnel over the Easter weekend to help reduce the risk of people spreading COVID-19 and are working closely with Tower Hamlets council and TfL to find a safe solution.”

The council had previously stated it would attempt to keep the tunnel open, given its use as an important conduit for essential workers crossing the Thames.

However last weekend saw thousands of people flock to greenspaces around the city, leading to local authorities shutting down parks across London.

Crossing the river will still be possible from Greenwich on the DLR, which allows bicycles onboard during weekends, banks holidays and at off peak times.

The council also issued a reminder saying there should be no sunbathing, no sitting down on benches or grassed areas, and no playing sports while social distancing precautions remained in place.

“We’re all in this together so let’s make sure we all follow the government and health advice to beat the spread of coronavirus and ensure the lockdown ends as soon as possible,” Cllr Thorpe said.