Coronavirus infection rates in Suffolk’s local authority areas remain some of the lowest in the country, latest Public Health England figures reveal.

The figures detailing how many new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in all local authorities for the week up to July 18.

The updated numbers include data from both Pillar 1 testing - tests carried out in hospitals - and Pillar 2 - tests covering the wider population.

The two local authorities in Suffolk where the infection rate is the highest are Babergh and West Suffolk, each with 2.2 cases per 100,000 of the population.

However, East Suffolk saw a fall from two cases per 100,000 people to 0.8, with the number for Mid Suffolk remaining at zero.

The number of confirmed cases in Ipswich fell from 2.2 per 100.000 people to 1.5.

In north Essex, the infection rate in Colchester has increased from 1.6 cases per 100,000 to 2.1, with Tendring’s figure now at 6.2 - up from 3.4

Braintree’s infection rate fell from 21.8 cases per 100,000 to 16.5, but remains the local authority in Essex that has returned the most positive tests.

Blackburn with Darwen has replaced Leicester as the local authority with the highest infection rate in England, with 78.6 cases per 100,000 of the population.

Data released on Monday revealed just 11 positive Covid-19 tests were returned in Suffolk in the week leading up to Sunday, July 12, despite the easing of lockdown.

There have been 2,632 confirmed cases of the virus in Suffolk since the outbreak began.

MORE: Suffolk’s coronavirus infection rate falls below pre-lockdown levels