Police turfed tourists out of two North Wales properties that had been rented out on Airbnb, a county leader claimed.

Cllr Mark Young, the lead member for public protection and safer communities in Denbighshire, also said he had been contacted by three hosts who had promised to stop letting their properties out during the Covid-19 outbreak.

But Cllr Jones, Plaid Cymru, said in light of what is said to have happened at the weekend, the Welsh Labour government should move to outlaw the advertising of Airbnb lets during the crisis.

He said: “People were staying in Airbnb places in Denbighshire this weekend.

“Why would Airbnb think it’s alright to leave their platform open during the pandemic?

“Our officers are trying to get them to stop their places being advertised. It’s a massive problem.

“Airbnb say it’s the responsibility of the house owners, but they have a responsibility during a national emergency – they have a responsibility to close the platform. Any reasonable company would do that.”

Cllr Young added: “It’s still happening and putting people in Denbighshire and Wales at risk. The First Minister should demand the platform is shut.

“There’s no way Airbnb is checking all these bookings are key workers.”

An Airbnb spokesman said the website was advising hosts about social distancing measures and had removed the “instant book feature” from its app.

“This is so hosts can check that new bookings comply with the rules before accepting them,” he said.

“We will not allow listing titles that could be interpreted as exploiting the pandemic, such as marketing around escaping Covid-19.”

He said a banner on the host dashboard reminded hosts about reviewing “the latest Government guidance and regulations” before accepting any new bookings.

The spokesman added guests were “reminded about local travel restrictions when searching”.

He added there were limited exceptions which allowed “specific types of guests and in certain limited circumstances”.

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “Strict rules to control the spread of coronavirus are in operation, the message is clear – stay at home to save lives.

“These rules refer to non-essential travel – visiting holiday homes is not essential.

“Accommodation businesses must close and remain closed until further notice.

“If accommodation owners do not comply with this they can be fined and/or have their licenses removed.”