Two major port events have been cancelled for the second year running amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Port of Dover Community Regatta and White Cliffs Christmas will again not take place.

Organisers have said it takes months to plan these events that attract thousands of people and a lack of certainty over lockdown easing has forced them to make a decision now.

The Regatta is usually in July or August but the authority says safety concerns around how to ensure social distancing and restrict numbers on the seafront, for an event that can attract up to 10,000 people, were uppermost.

White Cliffs Christmas, which is indoor, was considered too risky in terms of maintaining social distancing for its more most popular activities such as the ice rink.

Doug Bannister, chief executive, Port of Dover, said: “One year on and who could have foreseen that we would be in a third national lockdown?

"Cancelling this year’s two major events was the responsible thing to do..."

"These major events take months of planning and although we hope that the UK manages to stick to the roadmap set out by the Prime Minister, there are still too many uncertainties to begin preparations at this time with confidence.

"Public safety has been at the heart of our decision making and so cancelling this year’s two major public events at the port was the responsible thing to do.”

The Port says it recognises that this news will be disappointing when people may be looking for more activities to enjoy locally this year.

Subject to progress in the easing of the national lockdown, the Port explains it will explore whether or not it might be possible to safely hold smaller scale events on the waterfront this year.

It is in discussions with local partners to look at the potential to do this.

A major step in the easing of the lockdown took place on Monday when groups of up to six or two households were allowed to meet outdoors.

The last major restrictions are scheduled to end on June 21 but only if infection rates sufficiently fall.

Yesterday the UK had 4,041 new cases of Covid-19 and 56 new deaths compared with 23,275 and 1,200 on January 30.

The UK vaccination programme is also progressing well but a third wave of the disease has now struck Continental Europe including just 21 miles away in France.

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