A Mirror analysis of the latest coronavirus infection rates for every local authority in England reveals the 15 places most at risk of moving into Tier 4.
It comes amid fears the North will be hit by another devastating wave of the disease as a new and more infectious variant of Covid-19 spreads in every region of the UK.
Of all local areas currently in Tier 3, Bromsgrove in Worcestershire has the highest rate - 328.4 in the seven days to December 28, up from 249.3 the previous week.
It is followed by York (320.5) and Hambleton (312.2) in North Yorkshire. The Wirral in Merseyside is next with a rate of 303.1, followed by Halton in Cheshire (279.7) as confirmed cases rise across the Liverpool City Region.