Covid-19 rates up sharply in more areas of the North West

Covid-19 case rates are starting to rise steeply in more areas of the North West, although rates in Bolton are continuing to fall.

Rossendale, Ribble Valley and Hyndburn in Lancashire are among those areas now recording some of the highest rates in the UK.

Blackburn with Darwen remains the area with the highest rate in the country.

But while rates in Bolton are now dropping, other areas of Greater Manchester, such as Bury, Manchester and Salford, are recording a sharp rise, according to analysis by the PA news agency.

Covid: Blackburn overtakes Bolton with highest coronavirus infection rates in the UK

North-west England is currently the regional hotspot of new cases of Covid-19.

• Case rates are rising in most areas; only seven of the 39 local authorities recorded a week-on-week fall in the most recent figures.

• Four of the top five biggest week-on-week increases in case rates in the UK are all in the North West, and all in Lancashire: Rossendale (up from 76.9 to 316.2), Blackburn with Darwen (281.2 to 416.2), Ribble Valley (24.6 to 129.7) and Hyndburn (66.6 to 162.9).

• Blackburn with Darwen also has the highest rate for any local area in the UK, followed by Bolton (where rates have fallen from 452.1 to 386.0), Rossendale and Hyndburn.

• In total, 15 of the top 20 highest rates in England are in the North West.

(The latest case rates are for the seven days to May 27, and have been calculated by the PA news agency using Public Health England data.)

Surge testing being stepped up in Blackburn with Darwen as cases of 'Variant of Concern' rise

The analysis comes as some scientists have warned a third wave of coronavirus is already under way in the UK, driven by cases of the variant first identified in India and which are now in most areas of the country.

Further easing of lockdown rules are due to take place later this month, though a major lifting of restrictions in England on June 21 has yet to be confirmed by the Government.