Coronavirus hotspots have seen a huge surge in new cases - with 13 towns and cities now having more than 100 cases per 100,000 people, alarming data shows.
Liverpool, South Tyneside, Oldham, Knowsley, Halton, Warrington, Hyndburn and Manchester were among the areas that saw sharp week-on-week rises.
The number of people testing positive more than doubled in Rossendale, data from Public Health England confirmed, while Pendle and Blackpool have also seen dramatic increases.
Bolton remains the worst-affected hotspot, but there has been a small week-on-week drop, from 198.2 to 189.9 cases per 100,000 people.