Relief at return from India before travel ban imposed

The last scheduled flight from India ahead of new coronavirus travel curbs has arrived in the UK.

Some passengers arriving at Heathrow on Thursday had been trying for weeks to get a flight home, as the Covid-pandemic in India worsened.

They told the BBC of their relief at landing before the new restrictions come into force.

India is on the UK's travel "red list" from 04:00 BST on Friday. After that, UK and Irish nationals and those with residency rights arriving from India must quarantine in a government-approved hotel. Other nationalities who have been in India within the past 10 days will be refused entry to the UK.

India has seen soaring infection rates, a rapidly rising death toll, the discovery of a new virus variant and the world's highest number of daily recorded coronavirus cases.