Truck drivers returning to France from Britain will not now need to have a coronavirus test if they have spent less than 48 hours in the country, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Sunday.

France demanded in December that lorry drivers travelling from Britain to France must carry a negative COVID-19 test result to reduce the spread of a more infectious coronavirus variant that had been found in Kent in southeast England.

"I've agreed more flexibility in testing for hauliers travelling from the UK to France,” Shapps said on Twitter.

"From 11 p.m. (2300 GMT) tonight, lorries returning to France from UK having spent less than 48 hours in the UK will no longer require a coronavirus test.”

(With input from agencies)