BILL'S has announced it is closing all restaurants due to the coronavirus.

The popular chain, which was started in Lewes, and has stores across Sussex, said from 7pm today all restaurants would be closed.

In a message to customers they said: "This extraordinary measure has been taken on the interest of both employee and guest safety which are of utmost importance."

Earlier today. Zizzi and Ask Italian said they would close their sites temporarily.

A host of other smaller restaurant groups have also revealed closures, with Vietnamese brand Pho closing the doors of its 30 sites to focus on home delivery.

Burger chain Byron said it has also closed its operations to the public completely and is moving to delivery-only.

Brasserie Blanc, the chain of 17 French restaurants founded by TV chef Raymond Blanc, has also closed its operations completely for the near future.

Other chains, such as Itsu, have announced they have moved to takeaway-only models to reduce the time customers spend at their sites.