Temporary lockdown restrictions that have closed pubs and restaurants in North Ayrshire are being extended for another week.

Speaking at today’s daily briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says although she is optimistic that the rules are working, it is too early to remove them completely,

The current restrictions will now continue until 6am on November 2, the same day that a new local tier system is due to come in to place.

Under the current restrictions, all licenced premises in five Central Belt health board areas are closed with the exception of takeaways.

Premises elsewhere in the country are only allowed to serve between 6am and 6pm with no alcohol allowed inside.

The First Minister said: "This is first and foremost a public health decision.

“Although we have grounds for cautious optimism that the restrictions are having an effect, the clinical advice to Cabinet is that it would not be safe to lift them as early as Monday.

“The extension allows us to transition to the new levels system from November 2.”

Scotland has recorded 28 deaths in the past 24 hours, which is the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the middle of May.

More than 1,700 cases were also confirmed in the past day, meaning more than 50,000 residents have now tested positive since the pandemic began.

In Ayrshire, 105 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, the fourth highest number per health board area in the country.

A new tiered system similar to England is due to start on November 2, which will involve restrictions on hospitality and social gatherings.

Although details have yet to be confirmed, it is thought that the highest tier will be involved restrictions such as travel bans, while the lowest tier will be as close to normal life as possible without a vaccine.