Coronavirus case rates have soared in 15 hotspots just hours before the local lockdown tiers are changed. The latest figures out today show two places where the case rate has soared by around 300, and 13 where it is up by 200 to 250, as 208 of the 315 local government areas in England see cases increase.
In today's update of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases for every local authority area in England, figures are taken from the seven days to December 11.
The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people. In the Tier 2 county of Essex, the borough of Basildon has seen a huge surge as the county prepares to enter the strictest Tier 3 restrictions at one minute past midnight tonight.