ALMOST 900 new coronavirus cases have been recorded across Cheshire in the space of one week. 

Cheshire East has the 22nd highest coronavirus rate out of all the local authority areas in England, according to recent figures, while Cheshire West and Chester is 26th.

The latest statistics from Public Health England showed that in the week before June 7, the most recent period for which data is available at the time of writing, there were 504 positive Covid-19 tests returned in Cheshire East.

This equates to 131.2 cases for every 100,000 residents.

By comparison, in the seven days leading up to May 31 there were 252 new cases recorded – or 65.6 per 100,000.

Meanwhile, in the week before June 7, there were 390 positive Covid-19 tests returned in Cheshire West and Chester.

This equates to 113.7 cases for every 100,000 residents.

By comparison, in the seven days leading up to May 31 there were 148 new cases recorded – or 43.1 per 100,000.

Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester were two of 281 local authority areas to record a rise in cases between these dates, while 28 experienced a fall and six were unchanged.

Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire continues to have the highest rate, with 1,000 new cases in the seven days to June 7 - the equivalent of 668 cases per 100,000 people.

This is up from 441.6 in the seven days up to May 31.

Ribble Valley in Lancashire has the second highest rate, followed by Rossendale - also in Lancashire.