New laws to come into force next week could see travellers from England subject to a £5,000 fine if they leave the country without good reason.

The penalty is included in legislation  that will be voted on by parliament later this week.

Foreign holidays are currently banned under the “stay at home” rule in force across England.

However, this comes to an end on Monday.

In response, the government will then make a ban on leaving the UK a specific offence backed up by the threat of the fine.

Under the current plan for easing restrictions, the earliest date people in England could go abroad for a holiday would be May 17th.

However, a surge in Covid-19 cases in continental Europe, as well as the slow rollout of vaccines, has cast doubt on the resumption of foreign travel.

Reports suggest the ban on foreign travel could be extended until at least July.

Health secretary, Matt Hancock, said restrictions on travelling abroad were necessary to guard against the importation of large numbers of cases and new variants which might put the vaccine rollout at risk.

The global travel taskforce is also considering a tiered or traffic light system for international travel when the ban on leaving the country is lifted.

The discussion is focusing on what restrictions would apply to travellers returning from destinations in the lowest level.

The intention is to publish the framework on April 12th.