PENDLE and Blackburn with Darwen are second and third on a list of areas with the highest coronavirus infection rates, according to latest figures.

The list of the weekly rate of new cases of Covid-19 for every local authority in England ranks Blackburn with Darwen as third and Pendle as second.

In Pendle, the rate has gone up from 14.2 to 67.8, a massive jump since the last figures were recorded.

This has been caused by a spike in new cases recorded on July 6 and 7.

The figures are based on tests that have been carried out both in laboratories — pillar one of the Government's testing programme — and in the wider community, pillar two.

Blackburn with Darwen is up from 29.5 to 41.0, with 61 new cases in the seven days to July 10.

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The list is based on latest Public Health England figures updated on July 13 on the Government's coronavirus online dashboard.

Leicester is still the highest in the country but has fallen slightly from 117.7 in the seven days to July 3 to 114.3 in the seven days to July 10.

The rate is expressed as the new number of new cases per 100,000 population.

Data for the most recent three days, July 11 to 13, has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.

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20 authorities with the highest rate of coronavirus infections in England 

1. Leicester 114.3 117.7

2. Pendle 67.8 14.2

3. Blackburn with Darwen 41.0 29.5

4. Rochdale 37.7 30.9

5. Herefordshire 36.4 1.6

6. Bradford 34.1 37.6

7. Peterborough 29.8 13.4

8. Oadby and Wigston 28.0 36.8

9. Kirklees 27.6 33.7

10. East Staffordshire 26.1 9.3

11. Kettering 20.7 13.8

12. Northampton 20.4 18.2

13. Oldham 20.4 21.2

14. Braintree 19.8 2.6

15. Calderdale 19.5 12.4

16. Eastbourne 19.4 11.6

17. Carlisle 19.4 17.5

18. Luton 19.1 12.1

19. Wakefield 18.0 10.1

20. Bolton 17.5 17.5