Motorways eerily empty on day one of Northamptonshire's coronavirus lockdown

This is the spooky sight on Northamptonshire's motorways this morning (Tuesday March 24) on day one of the Government's coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's order to "stay at home" emptied carriagways on the M1, A14, M45 and at the Catthorpe Junction for the M6.

The M1 usually carries around 140,000 vehicles a day. Yet Highways England's traffic cameras showed the stark effect of a three-week shutdown ordered in a bid to slow the Covid-19 pandemic with little or at around 10am.

Only key workers and firms delivering essential goods are allowed to travel How the county’s motorways looked on day one of the lockdown Copyright: other under the PM's instructions to "stay at home and help save lives."

The lockdown came on the day the number of known coronavirus cases in Northamptonshire jumped to 29. The rise of eight is the biggest in a single day since the first case was reported on March 3.