Pressure is mounting on the UK and EU negotiating teams to finalise a post-Brexit trade deal.

Talks went on late into Wednesday evening at the business department in central London.

The two sides are urgently seeking compromises in key areas before current trading rules expire at the end of December.

Fishing rights, competition rules and how an agreement should be enforced remain outstanding issues.

The two sides have been locked in talks since March to determine their future relations once the UK's Brexit transition periods ends on 31 December.

Ireland's foreign affairs minister said there was a "good chance" a deal between the two sides could be agreed in the coming days.

Speaking to Ireland's Newstalk Radio, Simon Coveney said the EU needed to "hold our nerve" and trust its chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

"I believe if we do that, there's a good chance that we can get a deal across the line in the next few days," he added.

Mr Coveney is due in Paris on Thursday for Brexit discussions with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Boris Johnson has said the UK remains "absolutely committed" to "getting a deal if we can".

Speaking on Wednesday, the prime minister said the EU side "know what the UK bottom line is," as talks continued in what is seen as a crucial week.

Negotiators got back to work in London on Thursday morning - face-to-face talks have been ongoing since the weekend after a week-long pause.

Discussions had to move entirely online after Mr Barnier was forced into self-isolation after one of his colleagues tested positive for Covid-19.

Pizzas were delivered to a central London venue late on Wednesday evening, as the two teams continued to haggle over the details of a deal.