Hull has the third highest coronavirus rate in the country

The figures, for the seven days to November 5, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government's testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (November 6-9) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

A majority of areas in England (210 out of 315) have seen a rise in case rates.

Oldham continues to have the highest rate in England, with 1,835 new cases recorded in the seven days to November 5 - the equivalent of 773.9 cases per 100,000 people.

This is up from 698.8 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to October 29.

Blackburn with Darwen has the second highest rate, down slightly from 730.1 to 719.5, with 1,077 new cases.

Hull is in third place, where the rate has jumped sharply from 373.0 to 671.3, with 1,744 new cases. This is also the biggest week-on-week jump for any area in England.

Other areas recording large jumps include North East Lincolnshire (up from 409.9 to 635.5, with 1,014 new cases) and Scarborough (up from 148.0 to 338.4, with 368 new cases).

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency and is based on Public Health England data published on November 9 on the Government's coronavirus dashboard.

Hull's Director of Public Health issues an urgent plea:

“While we don’t want to worry people, the time has come to look at our local data and afford it the gravity it deserves.

“These rates are not good news. Just a handful of weeks ago we had fewer than five cases in the whole city and we’re now seeing hundreds every day.

“We work closely with our NHS and other health partners across the city and we know that while we should keep confidence in our local services’ ability to cope, the strain they are feeling now is significant. It is likely we are just days away from some routine services being stopped.

“The picture locally is the worst is has been – our cases and admissions are higher than at any other point during the pandemic. It has never been more important that we all understand and follow the advice.

“Do not leave home unless it is absolutely necessary and then, only for the specific reasons allowed under the restrictions. I know it is hard and I know you’re all tired and want things to return to normal. I know that as we enter a season of celebration, including Diwali and Christmas, it feels more difficult than ever that we cannot see loved ones.

“While the government has initially put these tighter restrictions in place until December 2, lifting them is dependent on a review of the data at that point. If we do not manage to reduce our local rate by that time, I cannot see any way that we would be able to go ahead with any relaxing of the rules.

“Over the coming weeks, to protect each other, the NHS and the opportunity to be together again as soon as possible, it is absolutely critical we all play our part.

“Please, however hard it is, don’t be tempted to break or even bend the rules. None of us is exempt from the virus and so none of us is exempt from doing as we have been asked. As we did earlier this year, it is time to pull together by staying apart.

“I have faith in our city and I am hopeful that if we can really work hard for the next few weeks, we will have better news to bring you”.