Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash criticised for holiday to Powys with much of Wales under lockdown

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Credit: Stacey Solomon/Instagram

Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have been criticised for taking their family on holiday to Rhayader in Powys as 2.3 million people in Wales live under lockdown restrictions.

The Loose Women panellist posted about the trip, celebrating her 31st birthday, on social media.

She wrote: "All I could ever wish for on my Birthday. On top of the world with my world... Joe Joe how did you even find this place? I love you to the moon and back. What a special, special day."

Whilst much of Wales is under tighter restrictions, counties including Ceredigion, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd are not.

In Wales, people must not enter or leave areas subjected to local lockdown restrictions without a reasonable excuse such as going to work.

People living in England are under no such restrictions which means those living areas of higher Covid-19 infection rates can travel to areas of Wales with low community transmission.

This means Stacey and Joe did not break any rules in travelling to Rhayader.

The Welsh Government says it is "actively considering" imposing quarantine restrictions on people travelling into Wales from areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus.

First Minister Mark Drakeford had previously called on the Prime Minister to introduce travel restrictions for people in areas of England under local lockdown.

Credit: PA

One social media user said they "should not have been allowed to travel to Wales" whilst another said they "would love to have the chance of a short break or holiday in their own country but have been prevented from doing so by our wonderful First Minister."

South Wales West MS Bethan Sayed defended the celebrity pair saying it was "not their fault" and that the blame lay in the different government making different decisions on coronavirus restrictions.

Stacey and Joe stayed with Holidays Wales in Rhayader who saw their followers on social media platform Instagram sky-rocket to over 143,000.

Posting on social media, the glamping site said: "This last 48 hours has been totally crazy. A real dream come true.

"We hosted the most lovely guests on the weekend in our new hobbit houses."