ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has demanded more Tube trains run during the coronavirus pandemic to avoid overcrowding and infection, saying there is "no good reason" for the infrequent service.

Concerns have been raised about the number of people packing into London Underground trains after the timetable was reduced.

However Sadiq Khan hit back, with a spokeswoman saying: "TfL simply cannot safely run a full service because of the levels of staff sickness and self-isolation".

Boris Johnson declared the UK was on lockdown during a Monday night public broadcast and said only key workers and those making infrequent yet essential shopping trips should use public transport.

Mr Hancock said: “When it comes to the Tube, the first and the best answer is that Transport for London should have the Tube running in full so that people travelling on the Tube are spaced out and can be further apart – obeying the two-metre rule wherever possible.

“And there is no good reason in the information that I’ve seen that the current levels of Tube provision should be as low as they are. We should have more Tube trains running.”

London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 50 show all London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1/50 A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA 2/50 An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA 3/50 A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images 4/50 Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images 5/50 Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn 6/50 Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images 7/50 Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA 8/50 A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images 9/50 A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA 10/50 An empty Millenium Bridge PA 11/50 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images 12/50 People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP 13/50 Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters 14/50 Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 15/50 Waterloo station looking empty PA 16/50 Getty Images 17/50 A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images 18/50 PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA 19/50 Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA 20/50 A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA 21/50 The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP 22/50 Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. 23/50 A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA 24/50 A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images 25/50 Getty Images 26/50 The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images 27/50 A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA 28/50 A deserted Chinatown PA 29/50 A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA 30/50 The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA 31/50 The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 32/50 The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 33/50 Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP 34/50 Westminster Bridge is deserted PA 35/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 36/50 An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images 37/50 Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn 38/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 39/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 40/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 41/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 42/50 Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA 43/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 44/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 45/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 46/50 London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP 47/50 A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA 48/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 49/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 50/50 Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn 1/50 A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA 2/50 An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA 3/50 A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images 4/50 Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images 5/50 Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn 6/50 Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images 7/50 Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA 8/50 A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images 9/50 A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA 10/50 An empty Millenium Bridge PA 11/50 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images 12/50 People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP 13/50 Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters 14/50 Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn 15/50 Waterloo station looking empty PA 16/50 Getty Images 17/50 A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images 18/50 PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA 19/50 Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA 20/50 A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA 21/50 The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP 22/50 Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. 23/50 A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA 24/50 A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images 25/50 Getty Images 26/50 The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images 27/50 A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA 28/50 A deserted Chinatown PA 29/50 A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA 30/50 The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA 31/50 The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 32/50 The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA 33/50 Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP 34/50 Westminster Bridge is deserted PA 35/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 36/50 An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images 37/50 Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn 38/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 39/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 40/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 41/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 42/50 Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA 43/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 44/50 Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn 45/50 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 46/50 London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP 47/50 A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA 48/50 A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images 49/50 A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA 50/50 Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn

Sadiq Khan’s office hit back, with a spokeswoman saying: “This is simply not true.

“The Mayor has told ministers countless times over recent days that TfL simply cannot safely run a full service because of the levels of staff sickness and self-isolation.

“Nearly a third of staff are already absent – there aren’t enough drivers and control staff to do it.

“The Government must act urgently to get more people staying at home rather than going to work unnecessarily – that means taking the difficult decisions they are refusing to take to ban non-essential construction work and provide proper financial support to freelancers, the self-employed and those on zero-hours contracts to stay at home.”

When TfL reduced train frequencies last week amid a drop in demand, it stated that this was “to ensure a safe and reliable service”.

Mr Khan took to Twitter earlier this morning and warned commuters that more lives would be lost if the public made unessential journeys.

“LONDON: I cannot say this more strongly: we must stop all non-essential use of public transport now,” he said.

“Employers: please support your staff to work from home unless it's absolutely necessary.Ignoring these rules means more lives lost.”

He added: “IMPORTANT: Growing numbers of TfL staff are off sick or self-isolating: we cannot run more services than we currently are.

“If you have to go to work, please don’t travel at rush hour - go at different times to keep contact to a minimum.”

NHS England said the UK had it’s biggest increase in coronavirus related deaths on Tuesday since the outbreak emerged.

A further 83 people have died, bringing the total number to 386.

Patients were aged between 33 and 103 years old and all were in vulnerable groups including those with underlying conditions.

As of 9am on Tuesday, a total of 90,436 people have been tested, with 8,077 positive results, up from 6,650 at the same point on Monday.