One of Felixstowe's most famous residents has come up with a novel way of deterring visitors to the town during the lock down.

Popular presenter Mark Murphy, who works for a local radio station, put out a Twitter suggesting snow had hit the seaside resort and people should stay away.

Although it was a fun tweet, the message was very serious to dissuade non-locals from using their cars to undertake non-essential travel to Felixstowe.

Police have struggled to enforce the government instructions not to make journeys, except to go to work, if you can't do it from home, pick up prescriptions, or food. Driving to take walk a dog, take part in exercise or go for a stroll are not allowed.

BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Mr Murphy tweeted, 'Thinking of coming to Felixstowe for a walk in Felixstowe, we've had freak weather, so stay away and stay home and protect the NHS, along with laughing emojis and pictures of Felixstowe under snow.

It clearly had the desired effect as visitor numbers were clearly down, even if some people still could not resist the wonderful area.

Mr Murphy told Nub News: "It was a fabulously sunny day and Felixstowe would normally be absolutely rammed with long queues out the chippy.

"Thank you to everyone who took the advice and stayed at home. Let's hope it's not long before the resort is bustling with visitors again."

At the last count, Mr Murphy's tweet was liked 195 times and had 18 retweets, including one from Annette Ellis, who posted pictures of snow in Shotley, which has also suffered from so-called Covidiots not obeying the government instructions to stay at home.

Mr Murphy later tweeted pictures of empty roads and cars in Felixstowe, which was a welcome sight.

Suffolk police patrolled Felixstowe and Trimley, offering advice to people who had travelled to the area for non-essential reasons.

Health minister Matt Hancock has subsequently issued a stark warning that more severe restrictions will be brought in if people do not obey the rules.