New cases of coronavirus continue to fall in the worst hit areas of the UK ahead of the Bank Holiday Weekend. Today's weekly update of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 for every local authority area in England covers the seven days to August 24, and is welcome news for areas which saw a return of coronavirus restrictions after localised outbreaks.
In the Lancashire borough of Pendle, which is still the worst hit area for new cases, 53 were recorded in the seven days to August 24 - the equivalent of 57.5 per 100,000 people.
While this is the highest rate in England, it is down from 81.4 in the seven days to August 17. The rate in Blackburn with Darwen is 56.8, down from 68.1, with 85 new cases.