An expert has told peers he would be “very surprised” if the UK avoided a second coronavirus wave.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee heard that countries like China and Iran have experienced second waves of the outbreak, and that Hong Kong is nearing its third wave.

Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, told the committee that with lockdown restrictions easing, it is likely the UK will also see a return of the Covid-19 epidemic.

I would be very surprised if we avoided the second wave

He said: “I think it is possible that we might not have a second wave.

“But I think given the fact that the lockdown has now been largely released, we’re now back in action, and we have still, pretty rapidly declining, but a pretty reasonable level of infections in the community, I would be very surprised if we avoided the second wave.”

Sir John added that this posed two questions.

This would be whether there would be a number of single outbursts around the country, and then a second wave, or if the UK was just going to get a second wave and when.