Ten Royal parks decide to close their cafes and kiosks as customers are not keeping their distance

London’s 10 Royal Parks have decided to close their food outlets because customers are not keeping far enough away from each other in them.

The parks will remain open – and provide a vital space for confined families to exercise and get fresh air.

But if they want refreshments, they will have to bring their own.

Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks will also be closed to traffic.

And the car parks at Hyde, Regent’s, St James’s Parks will only be open to key workers with permits.

The other parks where kiosks will close are Brompton Cemetery, Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill, and Victoria Tower Gardens.

A statement issued today by the Royal Parks said: “The Royal Parks remain open and are vitally important at this time. However, social distancing, as set out by the  Government, is absolutely crucial.

“We have, therefore, taken the decision to close all our remaining take-away cafes and kiosks with immediate effect as people are not adhering to social distancing guidelines.

“We have also made the decision, based on police advice, to start closing our roads to traffic in the outer parks (Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks). Roads will remain open in the inner parks (Hyde, Regent’s, St James’s Parks), but all designated car parks are now only open for key workers with a permit.

“We will keep this situation under constant review. If people do not follow social distancing guidelines, we will have no choice but to consider closing the parks.”