Nearly 1,000 people in the UK have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours - one of the worst daily figures to be reported across Europe.

Speaking in the government’s daily briefing on the pandemic on Good Friday, Health Secretary and West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock confirmed there had been 980 further deaths in the country linked to COVID-19.

This has brought the number of deaths related to the virus up to 8,958 since the outbreak began, with 70,272 confirmed cases.

In Suffolk, the number of confirmed cases of the disease jumped to 360, an increase of 46 in the last 24 hours.

And in Essex, nearly 100 more people have tested positive in the last day - with the figure for the county leaping by 93 to 1,232.

Earlier on Friday, health chiefs for Ipswich and Colchester hospitals confirmed the deaths of 21 more people who had tested positive for coronavirus - including one patient in their 20s.

MORE: Patient in 20s among latest patients to die after contracting coronavirus