The streets of London were left deserted after the mass exodus from the capital when Level 4 restrictions were introduced

Ondon’s streets were deserted on Monday after thousands of people fled the capital over the weekend when the new Tier 4 rules were introduced.

Main streets, which would normally be packed with last-minute Christmas shoppers, were empty after all non-essential stores were told to close since midnight Sunday.

Oxford Street and Regents Street were largely desolate this morning and most shops and restaurants closed in London’s largest malls in what would normally be one of the busiest weeks of the year.

It follows a mass exodus from the capital on Saturday night and Sunday morning when the government banned travel from Level 4 areas over Christmas and people rushed to beat a 48-hour ban in the flights from Great Britain to Ireland.

Trains from Kings Cross to the northeast were sold out on Saturday night as people desperately tried to get home to their families for the holiday period.

One traveler described an “exodus of the Irish” as crowds queued at Heathrow in hopes of catching the last flight of the night to Dublin.

The Irish government gave the green light to a last minute flight, described as a “Christmas miracle” by one traveler.

In Dover, there were similar scenes as passengers tried to cross the English Channel before the UK-France border was closed amid concerns about rising Covid-19 cases and a new strain of the virus.

France is also among several European countries implementing travel restrictions in the wake of a new mutant strain of coronavirus spreading across south-east England.

The new variant of the virus is potentially 70% more transmissible according to the first data.

Passengers planning to travel for Christmas who have canceled their plans will be reimbursed for train and coach reservations, the government has announced.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said customers will not be left “out of pocket” for “doing the right thing” amid the tightening of Covid-19 restrictions across the UK.

Cash refunds will be provided for canceled train and coach reservations in England for the previous Christmas travel window of December 23-27, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Tickets will only be refunded if purchased after the travel window was announced on November 24 and before it was changed on December 19.

Passengers are advised to check the website of their train or coach operator to find out how to claim.