A photographer has captured scenes in Sutton just hours before Boris Johnson ordered the closure of all shops selling non-essential goods as well as playgrounds and churches.

Gatherings of more than two people will be banned in the most dramatic curbs ever seen in Britain in peacetime, as the government goes all out to stop the spread of the killer disease.

In a grim address to the nation from Downing Street, Mr Johnson said weddings, baptisms and other social events must be cancelled to stop the NHS collapsing under the strain - although funerals can go ahead.

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Scenes in Sutton. Picture: Henri Calderon

If people do not follow the rules police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

Other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship must also close immediately.

Photographer Henri Calderon anticipated the Prime Minister's announcement and took a trip out the Sutton town centre to catch a glimpse of what life was like.

For the most part the streets were empty, although you can still see shoppers outside stores such as Morrisons and Argos.

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Scenes in Sutton. Picture: Henri Calderon

Stressing that "no Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this", Mr Johnson said in his Monday announcement: "Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

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Scenes in Sutton. Picture: Henri Calderon

"And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

"To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it - meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well."

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Scenes in Sutton. Picture: Henri Calderon

A backlash has been mounting against Mr Johnson's "relaxed" style, with warnings of a "full-scale mutiny" among Cabinet if the lockdown was not extended, and Labour claiming his "mixed messages will cost lives".