UK coronavirus death toll increases by 269 to reach 31,855

A further 269 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the UK total to 31,855.

The increase in deaths - which happened in hospitals, care homes and in the community - is the lowest daily increase since the end of March.

Numbers at the weekend can sometimes be lower than during the week as some administration staff who collate the figures may not be working.

Also on Sunday, the number of daily Covid-19 tests did not meet the government's target of 100,000 for the eighth day in a row.

The Department of Health and Social Care said 92,837 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, down from 96,878 the day before.

On Sunday, it was announced that there have been 178 new deaths in hospitals in England, bringing the total to 23,149.

The figures published by NHS England show April 8 continues to have the highest number for the most hospital deaths occurring on a single day, with a current total of 884.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,857 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by 10 on Saturday, the Scottish Government announced.

Another five Covid-19 deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said, bringing the total deaths in the region to 435.

Public Health Wales said a total of 1,111 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 12 on Saturday’s figures.

The total of the four nations' deaths released on Sunday does not match the figure of 269 put out by the Department of Health due to different cutoff times at which data is recorded.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know