Coronavirus lockdown: Groups of up to six people can meet to exercise together in England from Monday

Teams will be able to train together while friends and family will be able to play non-contact sports

Groups of up to six people will be able to exercise together outdoors from Monday as long as they observe social distancing rules, the government has said.

In the latest easing of lockdown measures, teams will be able to train together while friends and family will be able to play non-contact sports in parks or gardens.

Parents will also be able to accompany their children to coaching sessions carried out on a one to one basis or in small groups.

Outdoor gyms, playgrounds and swimming pools will remain closed under the new guidance, and the public is urged to avoid sharing equipment.

Elite sports are also set to resume behind closed doors from 1 June, with football, tennis and horse racing to return to be shown on television shortly.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said it was a "significant milestone" for the nation as he confirmed the easing of rules to allow a return to sport and for group exercise to resume next week.

Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, he said: "Today I am also glad to confirm that we are relaxing the rules on exercise further so that from Monday people will be able to exercise with up to five others from different households, crucially, so long as they remain two metres apart.

"That means that people who play team sports will be able to play together, and do things like conditioning and fitness sessions that don't involve physical contact."

"The British sporting recovery has begun," he added, as he set out plans for competitive sports to resume after three months.

The latest move comes after Boris Johnson has announced that friends and families can meet in parks and gardens in socially distanced groups of six from Monday in England.

But as people flocked to beaches to enjoy the sunshine, temperatures rose in government as senior scientists broke ranks to warn the easing lockdown measures had come too soon.

Professor Peter Horby, Sir Jeremy Farrar and Professor John Edmunds, all members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), expressed fears that lifting restricions was risks as the infection rate remains high.

But deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van Tam said scientific opinions "always vary to some extent".

He told the press conference that the lockdown easing must go "painstakingly" slowly, adding: "The scientists will continue to give that advice to the Government. No apologies for that, we will absolutely continue to do that."