The coronavirus R rate could have climbed to 1 across the UK - and may be higher than this in at least three regions. London, the North West and the South West are all estimated to have R rates that could be above 1 - meaning the number of new cases is on the rise.
Nationally the reproduction rate is estimated to be between 0.8 and 1, government figures published this afternoon reveal. The R rate - which refers to the number of people infected by each person with Covid-19 - needs to be below 1 in order for the number of cases to fall.
Despite cause for concern in some regions, the overall number of cases could be falling by up to 5% across the UK, data shows.