Coronavirus infection rates across the whole of East Lancashire have fallen for the first time this week.

In the latest figures, for the seven days to January 15, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, the Ribble Valley and Rossendale all saw their infections rates fall significantly. 

Rossendale's infection rate had been on the rise but when data was released on Tuesday evening, the borough's rate took a nosedive, falling from 563.8 to 510.6.

Of the 315 local areas in England, 14 (4 per cent) have seen a rise in case rates and 301 (96 per cent) have seen a fall.

Knowsley in Merseyside has the highest rate in England, with 1,712 new cases recorded in the seven days to January 15 – the equivalent of 1,134.8 cases per 100,000 people.

This is down from 1,464.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to January 8.

Slough in Berkshire has the second highest rate, down from 1,166.3 to 1,025.2, with 1,533 new cases.

Barking and Dagenham in London is in third place, down from 1,636.9 to 962.9, with 2,050 new cases.

The infection rates for each area in East Lancashire, for the seven days to January 15 are:

Burnley, 767.0, (682), 1052.6, (936)

Hyndburn, 710.7, (576), 725.5, (588)

Pendle, 685.0, (631), 892.4, (822)

Blackburn with Darwen, 680.0, (1018), 760.9, (1139)

Rossendale, 510.6, (365), 563.8, (403)

Ribble Valley, 500.9, (305), 629.0, (383)

Of the remaining boroughs in Lancashire, only Preston and South Ribble recorded increases in their infection rates in the seven days to January 15.

The infection rates in the remaining eight Lancashire boroughs are as follows:

Preston, 512.1, (733), 447.1, (640)

South Ribble, 503.7, (558), 481.1, (533)

Lancaster, 499.2, (729), 536.8, (784)

West Lancashire, 492.5, (563), 521.4, (596)

Wyre, 380.9, (427), 447.0, (501)

Chorley, 357.8, (423), 414.5, (490)

Fylde, 321.9, (260), 323.1, (261)

Blackpool, 308.4, (430), 346.4, (483)

The 10 areas with the biggest week-on-week rise in rates are:

1. Erewash (up from 404.8 to 472.4)

2. Preston (447.1 to 512.1)

3. South Holland (291.5 to 319.9)

4. Plymouth (304.1 to 330.0)

5. Ryedale (288.9 to 314.2)

6. West Devon (130.8 to 155.9)

7. South Ribble (481.1 to 503.7)

8. Somerset West & Taunton (384.9 to 406.2)

9. North West Leicestershire (369.7 to 390.9)

10. Mansfield (563.5 to 581.8)