The top 10 areas in England with the highest coronavirus rates have been named with a new area creeping into the top rankings.
The Wirral on Merseyside has been particularly badly hit by outbreaks local authorities say are mainly affecting women aged under 30.
Rising cases has seen the area jump into the the top-20 highest rates in the UK, according to today's new figures. And the Greater Manchester borough of Bolton has become the worst-hit England hotspot despite the government having been poised to lift it from emergency restrictions.
These fresh figures are based on Covid-19 tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community. They show the top 10 areas with the highest rates are: Bolton, Pendle, Rossendale, Oldham,