A regional daily has revealed its readers back showing Premier League football the red card because of the upsurge in coronavirus cases.

A survey by Newcastle daily The Chronicle has backed the move and found 85pc of readers support the current national lockdown of England.

A total of 4,174 people were surveyed by The Chronicle as part of a wider poll carried out across Reach plc-owned sites.

Readers were mostly in favour of rules closing outdoor pools and gyms, with which 70pc agreed, stopping pubs from selling takeaway pints, with which 72pc agreed, and closing outdoor attractions while allowing parks and playgrounds to stay open, with which 55pc agreed.

But it was the survey’s finding that 57pc of respondent’s thought elite sport, such as the Premier League, should also be forced to stop that provided a front page image for The Chronicle yesterday.

The newspaper, pictured above, showed a referee brandishing a red card to convey the majority of its readers’ sympathies for the idea.

A piece about the findings read: “Across our sister Reach sites in England, the latest lockdown rules have plenty of support – 82pc backed the stay at home rule. A similar proportion (83pc) backed school closures, with 75pc saying exams should be cancelled, and 81pc agreed with plans for university students to study virtually.

“Allowing elite sport also generally wasn’t supported, with 56pc disagreeing with the Government’s decision to let it go ahead.”

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