COLCHESTER town centre was deserted yesterday after the borough was plunged into Tier 4 of the Government’s coronavirus restrictions.

The Bank Holiday after Christmas would normally be one of the busiest days of the year for town centre retailers, with Boxing Day sales kicking into full swing at most shops.

However, with the Government ordering all non-essential retailers to close from Saturday, the town’s streets were eerily quiet yesterday.

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Last year there were queues outside the likes of Fenwick and Primark in the town, both of which will remain closed until the tier restrictions are reviewed.

Many retailers have moved their sales online, with 43 per cent of England now under the strictest coronavirus measures.

According to retail experts Springboard, footfall on Boxing Day was down 60 per cent across the UK compared with last year.

Card payment firm Barclaycard said an estimated £2.7 billion was spent by UK shoppers by the end of Boxing Day this year, with each consumer planning to spend an average of £162 online.

This is down from last year’s projection, which said one in four adults were expected to make the most of Boxing Day sales, spending an average of £186 each and a total of £3.7 billion.

Rob Cameron, chief executive of Barclaycard Payments, said: “While high street footfall will be down, we’re optimistic that an online shopping boost will give retailers a much-needed uplift as they head into the new year.”

Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said while the losses from reduced footfall will be offset a little by virtual “comfort-buying”, for the majority of retailers “the sales they get online are much smaller than what they get in-store”.

Colchester retailers do not know when they are likely to be able to reopen.

There is set to be a review of the Government tiers on Wednesday, however, it is not believed Colchester will exit Tier 4 due to the borough’s rapidly rising infection rate.