COVID-19 restrictions in Thurrock will remain at Tier Four and other areas of the South East are being stepped up to the same level.

However, in response to pleas for help from the region's health services, Health Secretary Matt Hancock says he will look favourably on the request for additional help across Essex made this morning when a 'major incident' was declared by the Essex Resilience Forum - a partnership of health services, police and councils including Thurrock Council.

That may include the deployment of military personnel to help regional health services.

In an announcement made in the House of Commons this afternoon, Heath Secretary Matt Hancock stepped up restrictions across the country, moving some areas from Tier Two to Three and others into Tier Four.

However, he stopped short of announcing any new level of restrictions.

There had been speculation that areas where there has been a huge surge in Covid-19 cases, like Thurrock, might be moved into a new Tier Five, but that did not happen.

There was better news from Mr Hancock who described the UK's approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine today (Wednesday, 30 December) as "the single biggest stride that we've been able to take since this pandemic began".

He says scientists worked at "lightning speed" and congratulates all those involved.

He says the approval is not just a "British success story" but a "victory for all" because the vaccine is affordable and can be stored at normal fridge temperatures.

He ended his statement to the Commons by saying: "We must all stick at it during the difficult weeks ahead. We end 2020 still with great challenges but also with hope and confidence that in 2021 we have a brighter future ahead."

Where Tier changes have been made:

Millions more people across England will join the toughest tier (Tier Four) of Covid restrictions from 00:01 tomorrow (Thursday).

Here is a breakdown of where:

Leicester City

Leicestershire (Oadby and Wigston, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Charnwood, North West Leicestershire, Melton)

Lincolnshire (City of Lincoln, Boston, South Kesteven, West Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Holland, East Lindsey)

Northamptonshire (Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire, Wellingborough)

Derby and Derbyshire (Derby, Amber Valley, South Derbyshire, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Erewash, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak)

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (Gedling, Ashfield, Mansfield, Rushcliffe, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe)

Birmingham and Black Country (Dudley, Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton)

Coventry

Solihull

Warwickshire (Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwick, North Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon)

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (East Staffordshire, Stafford, South Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle under Lyme, Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent)

Lancashire (Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn with Darwen, Ribble Valley, Blackpool, Preston, Hyndburn, Chorley, Fylde, Lancaster, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Wyre)

Cheshire and Warrington (Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington)

Cumbria (Eden, Carlisle, South Lakeland, Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, Allerdale)

Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan)

Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees)

North East (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland)

Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Cotswolds, Tewkesbury, Stroud, Cheltenham)

Somerset Council (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset)

Swindon

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Isle of Wight

New Forest

Which areas are moving into tier 3?

Here's a round-up of the local authority areas that will move into tier three at 00:01 on Thursday:

Rutland

Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin

Worcestershire (Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest)

Herefordshire

Liverpool City Region (Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, St Helens)

York & North Yorkshire (Scarborough, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Selby, Craven, Ryedale, Harrogate, City of York)

Bath and North East Somerset

Devon, Plymouth, Torbay (East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, West Devon, Plymouth, Torbay)

Cornwall

Dorset

Wiltshire