Covid-19 levels in Bedford highest in South of England

Bedford's Mayor Dave Hodgson has issued a plea to people to stay in lockdown because of the high number of cases of Covid-19 still in the town.

Rates of infection in Bedford Borough remain higher than anywhere else in the South of England.

As a result residents are being urged to ignore the government lockdown easing measures that come into force next week and continue to stay home where possible and carry on following current social distancing rules to reduce the infection rates.

The Council is working with Public Health England and the Joint Biosecurity Centre to try and find out why infection rates in Bedford are not falling as quickly as other areas and what can be done to bring the rate down and slow the spread of the virus.

Signs advising visitors to the town centre and the Borough's parks will continue to advise everyone to keep 2 metres apart.

The council add that the best way to reduce the rate is to stay home wherever possible.

Overall the Bedford area has seen 461 confirmed coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the population - the highest infection rate of any area in the Anglia region.

The Luton area in Bedfordshire is also among the highest in the region with an infection rate of 390 per 100,000 people.

The death rate across the county of Bedfordshire, which includes Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton, is also the highest in the region.

According to Office of National Statistics information on deaths up to the 12th June, 609 people have died in Bedfordshire with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. That is 91 deaths per 100,000.