The coronavirus infection rate in the Babergh area has doubled in the space of a week, as cases across Suffolk continue to climb.

The entire county, placed under Tier 4 restrictions from today, saw case rates increase in the week ending December 22, according to the latest data from Public Health England.

Babergh currently has the highest infection rate in Suffolk, according to the figures, with the local authority area recording 314 new cases that week – exactly double the figure the week prior.

The rise saw its infection rate per 100,000 people jump to 341.2, again exactly double the figure of 170.6 recorded in the week ending December 15.

The figure does however remain below the national average, which rose to 378.2 cases per 100,000 that week, up from 264.0 the week prior.

In Ipswich, the infection rate is now well into the high 200s, with the figure for the week ending December 22 standing at 279.7 per 100,000.

The borough recorded 383 new cases of the virus, up from 319 the week prior when the infection rate stood at 233.0 per 100,000.

In Mid Suffolk, 187 new cases of Covid-19 took the infection rate there up to 180 per 100,000 – an increase from 143.4 the week prior.

It was again a similar situation in West Suffolk, where 443 new infections took the rate from 129.6 per 100,000 to 247.4.

East Suffolk has the lowest rate in the county at 176.0 per 100,000, up from 124.3. The local authority recorded 439 new cases that week, 129 more than the week prior.

Rates in Essex, which is also entirely in Tier 4 as of this morning, have continued to soar.

In north Essex, the area with the highest rate is Braintree – where rates continue to be above the national average at 790.9 cases per 100,000. The authority recorded 1,207 cases.

The week prior, the rate stood at 515.4 per 100,000 after the authority recorded 785 cases.

In Colchester, the rate rose to 395.5 per 100,000 in the week ending December 22 – up from 186.4 the previous week. The borough recorded 770 new cases of the virus.

In neighbouring Tendring, the rate rose to 343.2 per 100,000 from 180.1. Infections almost doubled in the week at 503, up from 264 the previous week.