BOLTON now has the highest rate of coronavirus cases in the country.

The figures, for the seven days to August 31, are based on tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community.

In Bolton, 220 new cases were recorded in the seven days to August 31 – the equivalent of 76.5 per 100,000 people. This is the highest rate in England and it is up sharply from 17.4 in the seven days to August 24.

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

Data is now indicating that the rate could even rise to around 85 per 100,000 people by Friday.

There have been more than 200 new cases of Covid-19 in Bolton in the last week.

This is at least four times the rate of a week before – although testing has been ramped up in Greater Manchester this month.

Breightmet South and Darcy Lever is currently one of the worst affected areas in the region.

The borough’s current infection rate is the highest seen since the start of May.

The Government's 'red alert' level is triggered when the rate reaches 50.

Data for the most recent three days (September 1-3) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.The rate in Pendle has increased from 60.8 to 71.7, with 66 new cases.

Rossendale is in third place, where the rate has jumped from 15.4 to 64.4 with 46 new cases.

Other areas recording notable week-on-week jumps include:

– Bradford (up from 41.5 to 56.5, with 305 new cases)

– South Tyneside (up from 15.9 to 51.7, with 78 new cases)

– Corby (up from 23.5 to 48.5, with 35 new cases)

– Rochdale (up from 31.9 to 44.1, with 98 new cases)

– Trafford (up from 21.1 to 39.2, with 93 new cases)

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency and is based on Public Health England data published on September 3 on the Government’s coronavirus online dashboard.

Here is the list in full. From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to August 31; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to August 31; rate of new cases in the seven days to August 24; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to August 24.

Bolton 76.5 (220), 17.4 (50)

Pendle 71.7 (66), 60.8 (56)

Rossendale 64.4 (46), 15.4 (11)

Oldham 61.2 (145), 54.4 (129)

Bradford 56.5 (305), 41.5 (224)

South Tyneside 51.7 (78), 15.9 (24)

Corby 48.5 (35), 23.5 (17)

Rochdale 44.1 (98), 31.9 (71)

Manchester 42.0 (232), 42.0 (232)

Blackburn with Darwen 41.4 (62), 58.1 (87)

Tameside 39.3 (89), 30.5 (69)

Trafford 39.2 (93), 21.1 (50)

Salford 36.7 (95), 25.9 (67)

Preston 35.6 (51), 27.2 (39)

Middlesbrough 34.0 (48), 23.4 (33)

Hertsmere 33.4 (35), 7.6 (8)

Burnley 32.6 (29), 31.5 (28)

Leeds 32.5 (258), 23.2 (184)

Birmingham 31.2 (356), 24.5 (280)

Wirral 29.6 (96), 13.9 (45)

Great Yarmouth 28.2 (28), 15.1 (15)

Kirklees 27.5 (121), 26.6 (117)

Bury 27.2 (52), 34.0 (65)

Wycombe 25.2 (44), 6.3 (11)

Leicester 25.1 (89), 37.0 (131)

Breckland 25.0 (35), 15.0 (21)

Kettering 24.6 (25), 33.4 (34)

East Staffordshire 24.2 (29), 4.2 (5)

Redcar and Cleveland 24.1 (33), 9.5 (13)

Tamworth 23.5 (18), 3.9 (3)

Hyndburn 23.4 (19), 25.9 (21)

Castle Point 23.2 (21), 2.2 (2)

Sandwell 23.1 (76), 22.5 (74)

Kensington and Chelsea 23.1 (36), 21.1 (33)

Sheffield 22.4 (131), 10.1 (59)

Welwyn Hatfield 21.9 (27), 8.1 (10)

Ribble Valley 21.4 (13), 13.1 (8)

Gateshead 20.3 (41), 8.9 (18)

Newcastle-under-Lyme 20.1 (26), 18.5 (24)

Calderdale 19.9 (42), 32.2 (68)

Hammersmith and Fulham 19.4 (36), 18.9 (35)

Wandsworth 19.4 (64), 19.7 (65)

Harborough 19.2 (18), 7.5 (7)

Peterborough 18.8 (38), 18.8 (38)

Harrow 18.7 (47), 15.1 (38)

Northampton 18.3 (41), 37.8 (85)

Epping Forest 18.2 (24), 10.6 (14)

Barnet 18.2 (72), 11.4 (45)

Hartlepool 18.2 (17), 7.5 (7)

Warrington 18.1 (38), 2.9 (6)

Dacorum 18.1 (28), 25.2 (39)

Liverpool 18.1 (90), 15.7 (78)

Swindon 18.0 (40), 36.9 (82)

Sefton 17.7 (49), 10.1 (28)

Newcastle upon Tyne 17.5 (53), 13.5 (41)

Bedford 17.3 (30), 9.2 (16)

Coventry 17.2 (64), 12.7 (47)

Havering 17.0 (44), 11.6 (30)

Winchester 16.8 (21), 5.6 (7)

Elmbridge 16.8 (23), 17.5 (24)

Stockton-on-Tees 16.7 (33), 4.1 (8)

Norwich 16.4 (23), 5.7 (8)

Mole Valley 16.0 (14), 8.0 (7)

Waverley 15.8 (20), 12.7 (16)

Kingston upon Thames 15.8 (28), 7.9 (14)

Chiltern 15.6 (15), 10.4 (10)

Watford 15.5 (15), 16.6 (16)

Lambeth 15.3 (50), 11.3 (37)

Hounslow 15.1 (41), 11.8 (32)

Spelthorne 15.0 (15), 7.0 (7)

Gravesham 15.0 (16), 6.5 (7)

Brent 14.9 (49), 7.9 (26)

Stoke-on-Trent 14.8 (38), 19.9 (51)

Richmond upon Thames 14.6 (29), 10.6 (21)

Waltham Forest 14.4 (40), 9.4 (26)

Cambridge 14.4 (18), 8.0 (10)

Brentwood 14.3 (11), 11.7 (9)

Hambleton 14.2 (13), 2.2 (2)

Lincoln 14.1 (14), 4.0 (4)

Hackney and City of London 14.1 (41), 28.5 (83)

Tower Hamlets 13.9 (45), 13.2 (43)

Blaby 13.8 (14), 21.7 (22)

Bexley 13.7 (34), 8.9 (22)

St Albans 13.5 (20), 6.1 (9)

Slough 13.4 (20), 10.7 (16)

Lichfield 13.4 (14), 1.9 (2)

Newham 13.3 (47), 8.2 (29)

Windsor and Maidenhead 13.2 (20), 23.1 (35)

Broxtowe 13.2 (15), 10.5 (12)

Redbridge 13.1 (40), 7.9 (24)

Westminster 13.0 (34), 16.1 (42)

Hastings 13.0 (12), 9.7 (9)

Redditch 12.9 (11), 32.8 (28)

Cheltenham 12.9 (15), 6.0 (7)

South Bucks 12.8 (9), 18.6 (13)

Rotherham 12.8 (34), 6.4 (17)

Stockport 12.6 (37), 12.6 (37)

Plymouth 12.6 (33), 8.4 (22)

Rushcliffe 12.6 (15), 8.4 (10)

North Tyneside 12.5 (26), 4.8 (10)

Wigan 12.5 (41), 11.9 (39)

County Durham 12.5 (66), 8.7 (46)

Derbyshire Dales 12.4 (9), 4.1 (3)

Epsom and Ewell 12.4 (10), 5.0 (4)

Reading 12.4 (20), 11.1 (18)

Haringey 11.9 (32), 16.0 (43)

Harrogate 11.8 (19), 8.7 (14)

Wakefield 11.8 (41), 18.7 (65)

Hillingdon 11.7 (36), 13.4 (41)

Nottingham 11.7 (39), 11.1 (37)

Ealing 11.7 (40), 19.3 (66)

East Northamptonshire 11.6 (11), 8.5 (8)

Southend-on-Sea 11.5 (21), 6.6 (12)

Greenwich 11.5 (33), 5.9 (17)

Reigate and Banstead 11.4 (17), 6.7 (10)

East Hertfordshire 11.4 (17), 11.4 (17)

Broxbourne 11.3 (11), 7.2 (7)

Knowsley 11.3 (17), 6.0 (9)

Darlington 11.2 (12), 1.9 (2)

Dudley 11.2 (36), 7.5 (24)

Test Valley 11.1 (14), 3.2 (4)

Vale of White Horse 11.0 (15), 10.3 (14)

Cheshire East 10.9 (42), 8.3 (32)

Walsall 10.9 (31), 12.3 (35)

West Oxfordshire 10.8 (12), 2.7 (3)

Luton 10.8 (23), 12.7 (27)

High Peak 10.8 (10), 12.9 (12)

Enfield 10.8 (36), 14.7 (49)

North Somerset 10.7 (23), 2.3 (5)

South Norfolk 10.6 (15), 4.3 (6)

Northumberland 10.5 (34), 10.9 (35)

Wokingham 10.5 (18), 5.8 (10)

Camden 10.4 (28), 12.6 (34)

Barking and Dagenham 10.3 (22), 16.0 (34)

Brighton and Hove 10.3 (30), 6.9 (20)

Allerdale 10.2 (10), 7.2 (7)

Tandridge 10.2 (9), 6.8 (6)

Surrey Heath 10.1 (9), 3.4 (3)

Bolsover 9.9 (8), 7.4 (6)

Bristol 9.9 (46), 11.0 (51)

Wolverhampton 9.9 (26), 17.1 (45)

Hinckley and Bosworth 9.7 (11), 6.2 (7)

Three Rivers 9.6 (9), 13.9 (13)

Mid Suffolk 9.6 (10), 2.9 (3)

Tewkesbury 9.5 (9), 3.2 (3)

West Berkshire 9.5 (15), 6.9 (11)

Mid Sussex 9.3 (14), 14.6 (22)

Solihull 9.2 (20), 8.8 (19)

Croydon 9.1 (35), 9.1 (35)

York 9.0 (19), 5.2 (11)

Bromsgrove 9.0 (9), 8.0 (8)

Sunderland 9.0 (25), 8.3 (23)

East Hampshire 9.0 (11), 10.6 (13)

Barnsley 8.9 (22), 8.5 (21)

Worcester 8.9 (9), 4.0 (4)

Wyre Forest 8.9 (9), 4.9 (5)

Oadby and Wigston 8.8 (5), 33.3 (19)

South Gloucestershire 8.8 (25), 11.9 (34)

Cheshire West and Chester 8.7 (30), 9.0 (31)

Islington 8.7 (21), 11.1 (27)

Gloucester 8.5 (11), 3.9 (5)

Halton 8.5 (11), 3.9 (5)

Gedling 8.5 (10), 10.2 (12)

South Northamptonshire 8.5 (8), 4.2 (4)

Chorley 8.5 (10), 8.5 (10)

South Derbyshire 8.4 (9), 0.0 (0)

Bracknell Forest 8.2 (10), 5.7 (7)

Southwark 8.2 (26), 17.3 (55)

Shropshire 8.0 (26), 8.0 (26)

South Hams 8.0 (7), 6.9 (6)

Basildon 8.0 (15), 5.3 (10)

Dartford 8.0 (9), 5.3 (6)

Stevenage 8.0 (7), 3.4 (3)

West Lancashire 7.9 (9), 5.2 (6)

Chelmsford 7.8 (14), 9.0 (16)

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 7.8 (31), 3.0 (12)

St. Helens 7.8 (14), 8.3 (15)

Merton 7.7 (16), 9.2 (19)

Uttlesford 7.7 (7), 6.6 (6)

Wellingborough 7.5 (6), 16.3 (13)

Rutland 7.5 (3), 12.5 (5)

Sevenoaks 7.5 (9), 9.9 (12)

Wealden 7.4 (12), 1.9 (3)

Guildford 7.4 (11), 10.7 (16)

Carlisle 7.4 (8), 13.8 (15)

Newark and Sherwood 7.4 (9), 11.4 (14)

Rugby 7.3 (8), 5.5 (6)

Mansfield 7.3 (8), 5.5 (6)

West Lindsey 7.3 (7), 1.0 (1)

Stafford 7.3 (10), 4.4 (6)

West Suffolk 7.3 (13), 3.9 (7)

Bromley 7.2 (24), 10.5 (35)

South Ribble 7.2 (8), 5.4 (6)

Lewisham 7.2 (22), 11.8 (36)

Blackpool 7.2 (10), 7.2 (10)