THE Winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge will not be going ahead this year, as one of the latest events to fall victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Annually attended by around 5,000 visitors, English Heritage said the decision to halt people coming to the monument on December 21 was made in the interest of public health and advice from Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Police.

People from around the world can instead watch the sunrise through the stones live on the charity's social media channels for free, similar to the Summer Solstice event in June which was viewed online by more than five million people.

Nichola Tasker, Stonehenge director, said the team was "disappointed" the celebrations could not go ahead as normal, adding: “The solstices and equinoxes are incredibly important moments in Stonehenge’s calendar, but this year has not been kind to such gatherings.

"We hope instead that people will enjoy the solstice sunrise online from their home. We can’t wait to do the Winter Solstice justice at Stonehenge next year.”