Warning there could be 'unrest' in Bolton if local lockdown imposed

People queuing for Covid vaccinations at the ESSA academy in Bolton. Credit: PA

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been warned there could be "unrest" in Bolton if the Government brings in local lockdowns to contain the Indian variant.

The town currently has a higher rate of new Covid cases per 100,000 people than anywhere else in the country, as well as the biggest week-on-week rise.

David Greenhalgh, Conservative leader at Bolton Council, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that there was no sign yet that cases were coming under control.

Surge testing is being carried out to try to prevent asymptomatic transmission.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN BOLTON?

Mr Greenhalgh said that the majority of cases are now in younger age groups - from school children to people in their 20s.

"We still haven't got an increase in hospitalisation and severe illness, which is hugely welcome, those figures still remain low.

Enhanced testing and a vaccine drive are among the measures being rolled out in Bolton.

Mobile testing units have been deployed and door-to-door PCR Covid testing has been offered to 22,000 residents.

A vaccine bus has been set up to increase uptake among those who are eligible and a rapid response team of 100 nurses, public health advisers and environmental health officers has been sent in.

COULD IT MEAN A LOCAL LOCKDOWN?

The Prime Minister has refused to rule out a local lockdown in Bolton as cases of the Covid-19 Indian variant continue to sharply rise.

Bolton's council leader says previous local lockdown's haven't worked.

Locally introduced restrictions were a key strategy in managing rising coronavirus cases across the late summer and autumn, with the Tier system remaining in place until Christmas.

But Bolton lived under tougher restrictions for longer than the majority of other areas - which the leader of the town council says has caused "a great deal of resentment".

People queueing for vaccinations in Bolton.

On the possibility of a local lockdown, David Greenhalgh said "We've been there before and they don't work - not in a dense conurbation like Greater Manchester.

"This happened before, the spread increased because people travelled 50 yards across the county boundary to access hospitality that they can't in their own area."

Asked if he had told Mr Hancock there would be civil unrest, he said: "I do think there is a danger of unrest.

"The people of Bolton have a great spirit and they come together when times are difficult.

"But this would be a very, very difficult situation to manage I believe - if we went into a lockdown that we have personal experience of as a town, which did not work."

Here's what people in Bolton had to say about a possible local lockdown: