President-elect Donald Trump has announced he is to leave his business empire to focus on the presidency and avoid perceived conflicts of interest, informs BBC News.

Mr Trump gave few details but said he would expand on his plans at a press conference next month.

He has previously dismissed concerns over potential conflicts between his businesses and the presidency.

Mr Trump meanwhile focused on his plans to distance himself from his business in a series of four tweets released over 20 minutes.

As Mr Trump noted there is no legal requirement to liquidate assets but past US presidents have set aside their business dealings.

Mr Trump's rivals have raised repeated concerns this may cause problems in the coming months.

The property tycoon is said to be currently worth $3.7bn by Forbes magazine, with more than 500 different enterprises in his business empire.

Mr Trump, who takes office on 20 January, had previously indicated to the New York Times that he was considering separating his two areas of responsibility but was confident he could run both "perfectly".

He has also previously suggested he could hand over his sprawling business interests to his three eldest children - Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr, who already hold roles within his empire.

However, Reince Priebus, Mr Trump's incoming White House chief of staff, refused to say whether he was handing the business to his children or putting it into a blind trust, which would place the management of his assets in the hands of other experts.

Source: BBC News