The 20 places in England where coronavirus is spreading fastest

A woman looks at the UK government's digital advert in London which highlights 'Keeping apart, Keep safe' during the COVID19. The number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus is increasing. (Photo by Dinendra Haria / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
A coronavirus public safety advertisement on display in London. (Getty)

Coronavirus is spreading rapidly across large swathes of the UK, data has shown.

A list of the latest available seven-day infection rates for English council areas shows towns in north England having been worst hit.

Nottingham continues to have the highest rate in England, with 2,931 new cases recorded in the seven days to October 10 – the equivalent of 880.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The number represents a big jump from 510.7 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to October 3.

A Coronavirus testing centre in Dalston, east London. There were a further 6,042 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Saturday, taking the overall number to 429,277. A further 34 deaths were recorded.
A coronavirus testing centre in Dalston, east London. (Getty)

It comes as Public Health England (PHE) warned the rise in COVID-19 deaths was "hugely concerning" as the UK saw the highest daily figure in four months.

The government said a further 143 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus as of Tuesday.

This brings the total number of deaths in the UK to 43,018 million, according to government figures.

Read more: Government’s three-tier lockdown strategy risks Christmas lockdown, Labour councillor warns

It is the highest daily figure since 164 deaths were reported on June 10, but there is often a delay in the reporting of deaths over a weekend.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that Boris Johnson should impose a short "circuit-breaker" lockdown across England to bring the coronavirus resurgence under control.

Starmer heaped pressure on the prime minister after it emerged he dismissed a recommendation for the measure from government scientists three weeks ago.

WATCH: Infection rates highest in north of England

In his most dramatic intervention to date, Sir Keir said a two-to-three week national lockdown over half-term was needed to improve test and trace and prevent a "sleepwalk into a long and bleak winter".

He told a televised press conference that Johnson was "no longer following the scientific advice" by proposing "far less stringent restrictions" than suggested by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

Sir Keir said: "There's no longer time to give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt. The government's plan simply isn't working. Another course is needed."

As he laid out the new three-tier system on Monday, Johnson warned that rising coronavirus cases and hospital admissions were flashing like "dashboard warnings in a passenger jet".

The new system in England will see areas put into different categories labelled as medium, high or very high risk.

MPs will debate and vote on the system on Tuesday and, should it be approved, the tiers will come into effect on Wednesday.

Here are the 20 areas with the highest coronavirus infection rates per 100,000 people in the seven days to 10 October (infection rates per 100,000 for the seven days to 3 October are in brackets)

Nottingham 880.4, (510.7)

Knowsley 667.5, (562.8)

Liverpool 635.3, (555.0)

Burnley 529.7, (435.2)

Newcastle upon Tyne 490.7, (457.7)

Manchester 449.3, (583.2)

Sefton 447.9, (347.7)

Pendle 426.7, (315.9)

West Lancashire 423.4, (266.0)

St Helens 420.9, (343.3)

Sheffield 418.2, (347.8)

Blackburn with Darwen 410.8, (235.1)

Rochdale 391.2, (319.2)

Wigan 375.8, (253.8)

Oldham 374.5, (270.3)

Halton 371.7, (333.0)

Leeds 369.5, (367.9)

Exeter 353.9, (308.2)

Salford 353.1, (309.5)

Bury 341.4, (283.3)

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