A London lockdown is needed "right now" to prevent more coronavirus cases.

A spokesperson for the London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city was at a “very worrying topping point”.

They added: "London is at a very worrying tipping point right now.

"We’re seeing a sharp rise in 111 calls, hospital admissions, and patients in ICU.

"Whilst Londoners have made incredible collective sacrifices to reduce the spread of Covid-19, the number of cases is now rising steeply again and we have to take immediate action to get the virus back under control."

This Is Local London: London Mayor Sadiq KhanLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan

It comes as a top medic in France has expressed fears over how quickly the country's second wave is moving.

"The second wave is arriving faster than we thought," Patrick Bouet- who is the head of the National Council of the Order of Doctors, told French Journal du Dimanche.

"If nothing changes, France will face a widespread outbreak across its whole territory, for several long autumn and winter months," Bouet said.

It comes as the coronavirus death toll hit 41,936 yesterday and the total number of positive Covid-19 cases reached 423,236.

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The comments come after videos and pictures appeared to show people partying in the streets as they spilled out of pubs and packed tubes on Friday night after the new curfew.

From Thursday, pubs, bars and restaurants must offer table service only – and hospitality, leisure, entertainment and tourism businesses all have to close between 10pm and 5am.

The London Mayor’s office urged Londoners not to congregate at closing times and urged them to follow the guidelines.

A spokesperson added: “Londoners should think ahead to their journeys home and avoid the network at busy times, and wear a face covering over your nose and mouth.

“Public transport is running until late, as normal, and Londoners should wait for the next service if they cannot keep a safe distance on board.

“TfL is now running near normal services which is helping enable better social distancing and crowd management plans have been prepared for all tube stations."

The number of confirmed coronavirus patients in mechanical ventilation beds in London was 38 on Saturday.

This was down from 47 on Friday, the highest number since July 7 when there were also 48.