Shropshire Star

In Pictures: The UK before and after lockdown

Landmarks usually thronging with tourists are uncluttered as people stay inside to avoid the threat of coronavirus.

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London before and after lockdown.

The UK’s busiest landmarks and bustling streets lie almost deserted as residents stay indoors and many employees work from home to obey the Government’s lockdown directive.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen tourism take a massive hit, with fewer flights landing and many hotels closed.

And as the spring weather starts to warm the coast, even a family trip to the beach is discouraged by social distancing measures.

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Edinburgh’s Royal Mile on Saturday 14/03/20 (top) and on Saturday 21/03/20 after bars, pubs and restaurants were instructed to close (Andrew Milligan/Jane Barlow/PA)
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The National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square on 28/01/14 (top) and on Tuesday 24/03/20 (John Stilwell/Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
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Tower Bridge on 16/03/20 (top) and on Tuesday 24/03/20 (Yui Mok/Ian West/PA)
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Streets in the centre of Bath busy with visitors and shoppers on 11/03/20 (top) and the empty streets on Tuesday 24/03/20 (Ben Birchall/PA)
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Tourists outside Buckingham Palace during Changing the Guard on 13/03/20 (top) and on Tuesday 24/03/20 (Dominic Lipinski/Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
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Visitors to Leicester Square, London, on 13/03/20 (top) and on Wednesday 25/03/20 (Dominic Lipinski/Jonathan Brady/PA)
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People walking across the Millennium Bridge, with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background, on 13/03/20 (top) and on Wednesday 25/03/20 (Dominic Lipinski/Jonathan Brady/PA)
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Bournemouth beach on 14/09/19 (top), and on Monday 23/03/20 (PA)
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Barry Island, South Wales, on 14/09/19 (top), and on Wednesday 25/03/20 (Ben Birchall/PA)

London’s bustling West End theatre district went dark earlier in the week to protect casts and audiences alike.

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The queue outside Harry Potter And The Cursed Child outside the Palace Theatre, London, on 12/03/20 (top), and the theatre on Tuesday 24/03/20 (Jonathan Brady/Victoria Jones/PA)
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Ticket holders in a line outside the Criterion Theatre, London, on 12/03/20 (top), and the theatre on Tuesday 24/03/20 (Jonathan Brady/Victoria Jones/PA)

Public transport cuts have seen fewer services running, although rush hour in the capital has still seen packed Tube lines as key workers still need to commute.

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London’s Canary Wharf Jubilee line platform on 31/01/13 (top), and on Tuesday 24/03/20 (Yui Mok/PA)
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Commuters at Waterloo station in London on 12/03/20 (top), and on Wednesday 25/03/20 (Dominic Lipinski/Jonathan Brady/PA)
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Commuters crossing London Bridge on 13/03/20 (top), and on Wednesday 25/03/20 (Dominic Lipinski/Jonathan Brady/PA)
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