The University of Chester campus in November 2018. Shutterstock

Chinese students have been warned by a British university that they risk being quarantined on their return to the UK, if they travel home to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The quarantine advice from the University of Chester was issued before travel restrictions were imposed by Chinese authorities.

The University of Chester has a relatively small Chinese student cohort and they are being appropriately supported. All students have been advised they must not interrupt their studies to return to China at this point."

British universities are "monitoring the coronavirus situation as it unfolds and universities with students in affected areas are working to identify appropriate actions," according to Universities UK.

It added that universities will continue to follow travel advice by the UK Foreign Office "and to monitor the situation, which is evolving rapidly.”

Chinese nationals make up the biggest proportion of international students for higher education institutions in the UK, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

In the 2017-18 academic year, there were a total of 106,530 Chinese nationals studying in the UK.