Spain latest to ban British travellers as EU remains divided on response to new strain

Britons arriving at German airports, including Hanover, pictured, had to sleep in the terminals as they were refused entry to the country

On Monday night, the Irish Government announced consular flights are being arranged for Irish residents stranded in Britain following the ban on flights into Ireland from the UK.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said there would be at least two consular flights on Tuesday evening. The flights will be accessible to Irish residents and Irish-bound passengers transiting through British airports who had become stranded.

At least one flight will depart from London while the departure location of the other flight has yet to be determined. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it will depend on the demand from those who contact its assistance line.

A statement read: "There will be no access to people living in Great Britain who were planning short trips to Ireland for Christmas. This is because of the ongoing travel ban due to public health concerns."

Ferry access is also being arranged for Irish residents who have been stranded in their vehicles after taking short trips to Britain.

Thousands of truck drivers were left stranded and unable to cross the English Channel, not knowing whether they would be back in France in time to celebrate Christmas, after France imposed a complete ban on the movement of people and goods.

Chaos in Dover raised fears that trade flows could be severely disrupted weeks ahead of a tense deadline for Brexit trade talks which are expected to compound border disruptions.

The new strain has already been found in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and as far as Australia.

But a lack of virus sequence testing outside of Britain also meant the new strain could already be circulating more widely undetected, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a report.

With the restrictions, governments are seeking to avoid more exponential rises in infections ahead of massive vaccinations campaigns that have already started in Britain, Russia and the United States.

An EU-wide campaign is expected to start next week after the bloc’s drug regulator authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in the region on Monday.

Countries that have blocked travel from UK