Romford’s MP Andrew Rosindell said he hoped the coronavirus pandemic would result in ‘a better way of living’.

The Tory politician said lockdown measures had forced him to reacquaint himself with Havering’s natural world, where he observed the way it was being damaged by modern lifestyles.

He explained: “I think we have become a selfish society. I have been doing a lot of walking in recent weeks. Every day I walk around some of the rural bits - country footpaths and fields.

“I was astonished. Firstly, by how beautiful the countryside is in this area, a stone’s throw from where I live – all this amazing countryside.

“But secondly, because everywhere I look, there’s dirt and rubbish and plastic. Everywhere you go, there’s rubbish in the green areas.”

“We are privileged to live in the world we’ve got. I think this will make us rethink and go back to some basics again; keeping the air and the environment in a clean and respectful fashion. Maybe it’s going to make people think again and change the way we live, to the benefit of all.”