TOUGHER Covid-19 restrictions for some parts of England are set to be announced later today in a bid to help tackle the spread of the disease.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that “further action” will have to be taken as cases of the virus continue to rise, leading to “significant pressure” on the NHS.

The number of lab-confirmed cases recorded in a single day in the UK hit a new record on Tuesday, rising above 50,000 for the first time, to 53,135.

It comes as hospitals in England struggle under the strain of dealing with a higher number of Covid-19 patients than ever during the pandemic, surpassing the first wave peak that was seen in April.

Cheshire West and Chester – which yesterday recorded its highest one-day increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases – was placed into Tier 3 restrictions on Boxing Day.

Reports suggest the borough could now be placed into Tier 4.

Areas that are reportedly set to move up into Tier 4 restrictions include the likes of Burnley, with an infection rate of 493 per 100,000 people, Blackburn and Darwen (346) and Hartlepool (411).

All the areas within the West Midlands metropolitan county – including Birmingham (332), Coventry (251), Dudley (299) and Sandwell (350) – may also be facing a move from Tier 3 to 4.

Cheshire West and Chester currently has an infection rate of 266, according to Government data, which is higher than neighbouring Cheshire East (238).

Asked if he is going to extend tiers in his announcement on Wednesday, Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast: “Yes, I’m going to set out the details of that to the House of Commons this afternoon.

“It is clear, as we’ve seen from the data in the last few days, that the number of infections is going up.

“That’s unfortunately not just happening in London and the South East as it was in the last few weeks, but it’s starting to happen also elsewhere in the country.”

He said tiering decisions are not taken lightly, but added: “With this new variant growing rapidly – and it’s now the majority of new cases – it is very important that we keep people safe and that we protect the NHS which, as you know, is under significant pressure.”

Mr Hancock told Sky News the NHS is facing “a very significant challenge” and added: “We are going to have to take further action.”

He said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will also be making a statement later on Wednesday about the return of schools in England in January.

Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the priority is to “protect education as much as possible”.

He added: “But the new variant does make it much easier for this disease to transmit. So we are going to protect education as much as we can.”