Warring parents are 'weaponising' coronavirus and using it to stop their estranged partners having contact with their children, it has been claimed.

Boris Johnson's divorce lawyer has recently been consulted on a dispute where one parent is not letting her two children see their father for the weekend.

A mother approached Neil Russell, a solicitor at the London law firm Seddons, saying that her children didn't want to visit their father due to concerns they could be stuck away from their usual home for weeks if they have to self-isolate.

Boris Johnson's divorce lawyer Neil Russell (pictured) has recently been consulted on a dispute where one parent is not letting her two children see their father for the weekend

She also feared that the other parent could create a situation where they say they can't bring the children back because of self-isolation.

Russell told The Times: 'I have been doing this for 30 years and I have not seen anything like it concerning money or children.

'In many situations childcare arrangements may be precarious, and we have a catastrophic pandemic that is unsettling fragile working relationships between separated parents.'

'Where there is already distrust between parents, this virus inflates that distrust.'

Deputy chief constable Louisa Rolfe, the national police lead on domestic abuse (pictured), has expressed concern over the huge increase in levels of violence seen at home in China and Italy

Both parents in Russell's case work in healthcare and are concerned that their children could be carriers of the virus which would put their patients at risk or leave them unable to work.

It comes as police prepare for a surge in domestic violence as families spend more time together at home during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Deputy chief constable Louisa Rolfe, the national police lead on domestic abuse, has expressed concern over the huge increase in levels of violence seen at home in China and Italy.

Nicole Jacobs, the government's domestic abuse commissioner (pictured), urged women to ignore official advice to stay indoors if it puts them at risk

She is worried the same will happen in the UK now that a nation-wide lockdown is in place and people are encouraged to stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus.

She said: 'If domestic abuse goes up because of Covid-19, that will challenge us. I would urge people to look out for neighbours, look out for family and listen out for signs of abuse.'

Nicole Jacobs, the government's domestic abuse commissioner, urged women to ignore official advice to stay indoors if it puts them at risk.

She said that rules to stay at home are the 'ultimate nightmare' for victims of domestic abuse and that the stress of working from home can make it worse.

The UK's coronavirus death toll yesterday skyrocketed by 56 bringing the total fatalities to 233 in the worst 24 hours the country has seen yet.

The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has hit 5,018.