Covid-19: More than 170 people test positive for coronavirus at meat factory in Cornwall

More than 170 people have tested positive for coronavirus at a meat processing plant in Cornwall.

Most of the cases at the Pilgrim's Pride food factory in Pool, near Redruth, were asymptomatic according to the local public health team.

An alert to the national test and trace service from a single member of staff led to 500 colleagues at the plant being tested.

The company says it has introduced additional measures and checks its compliance with Covid-19 controls on a daily basis.

Coronavirus cases in the South West remain relatively low, despite spikes in other parts of the country. In the seven days up to September 27, there was an infection rate of 31.5 per 100,000 people in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, with 180 positive cases.

This was up from a prevalence of 20.1 per 100,00 people the week before, and 115 confirmed cases, according to calculations from the PA news agency.

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