Coronavirus: Monkey World closes to deter tier 4 visitors

Monkey World said its staff had endured "unacceptable abuse" from prospective visitors in tier four areas

An animal park has closed temporarily after finding that most of its visitor bookings were from areas with the tightest coronavirus restrictions.

Monkey World in Wool, Dorset, also said workers had been "unacceptably abused" when contacting people who had wrongly tried to visit from tier four zones.

It said it had a duty to protect staff as well as the park's rescued primates.

The site is in a tier three zone, allowing its outdoor areas to remain open.

In a statement, the attraction said it was "disappointed" by the behaviour of visitors.

It said: "The large majority... despite being in tier four since 19 December, have chosen to ignore the guidelines in place, book and attempt to visit anyway.

"Sadly, the abuse that many of our staff have had to endure when contacting those who have booked from tier four areas has reached a level that we consider to be unacceptable and this has contributed to the decision made."

On Wednesday, the government placed the Dorset Council area in tier three, indicating a "very high" alert level, while the remainder of the county, covered by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, moved to tier four which includes a "stay at home" order.

People living under tier four restrictions are only permitted to travel to lower-tier areas for certain specified reasons, such as work, caring responsibilities or emergencies.