WALES’ First Minister has expressed his 'disappointment' over document leaks about the ‘fire-break’ lockdown this weekend.

A letter was shared over the weekend, Saturday October 17, by political blog Bubble Wales suggesting that the ‘fire-break’ would be announced on Monday, today.

The document, dated as October 16, was penned by Wales Director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport John Pocket and revealed that a ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown would commence in Wales on Friday, October 23 – days before an official announcement.

Speaking at the Welsh Government press briefing on Monday, Mr Drakeford responded to these claims as ‘disappointing’ after it caused a frenzy of worry when details had yet to be finalised.

The minister said: “I am disappointed of course that people who have been involved in conversations with the Welsh Government, helping us to shape a package that was not finalised until 11.30 this morning should choose to then share those conversations in a way that was not originally intended.

“It’s a risk you run. The way I want to shape these very difficult decisions is by drawing in the people who will be affected by them and who will have to help us to provide services during the period.

“Of course, almost everyone respected the nature of those conversations. I’d rather take the risk in the end that some people will not understand the rules that we were all operating by and to have those conversations.”

The Minister goes on to say that it would have been possible for him not to have consulted anybody beyond the Welsh Government about these decisions but said that “would not have been fair” to spring onto the Welsh public, local authorities and service providers.

He continued: “The choice we made was to have those conversations, not when decisions had been made but to have them while the decisions were still being thought through. A large number of things that we have now resolved are resolved because those people have raised those issues with us.

“Those conversations have been very valuable. I’m disappointed that some people thought the right thing to do was to share them beyond those circles while those decisions were still in the making.”

The minster says that, as soon as decisions were finalised, he attended a planned press conference to update the public.

The First Minister today confirmed the 'fire-breaker' will start on October 23 at 6pm and end on November 9 - but warned the true benefits of it would not be seen through figures within the lockdown period.