"Don't go out" warn councils as Covid cases increase across the Thames Valley

Councillors from across the Thames Valley have pleaded with residents to better follow the lockdown rules to cut the rate of transmission in towns and cities.

The Health Secretary suggests there are no current plans to tighten existing rules. 

The weekly rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 in Oxfordshire and Berkshire remains above the national average.

The Director of Public Health in Oxfordshire has warned that the prevalence of Covid-19 in the county is as high as it has ever been.

Councillor Louise Upton from Oxford City Council and Councillor Karen Rowland from Reading Borough Council have been urging parents to think carefully about visiting children's playgrounds, which, under current rules, remain open.