North West Leicestershire's coronavirus case rate has overtaken Leicester for the first time and is now the highest in the country.

Public Health England figures now show the region has the worst figures in England.

The latest statistics, released at 4pm on Thursday, show that the district's seven day case rate has gone back above 200 per 100,000 people and was standing at 205.6.

This compares to Leicester's figure of 197.1 in an area which has had consistently high rates.

But this is the first time North West Leicestershire's rate has figured so prominently in comparison - its current rate is almost two and half times the national average.

In the 24 hour period, the area returned 24 new cases.

Public Health England said this week that the district had the third highest case rate in the country.

But fewer than 200 new Covid cases have been confirmed across the city and county every day so far this week.

In total there were 177 new infections identified in the last 24 hours – 84 in Leicester and 93 spread across Leicestershire.

Charnwood added 29 and North West Leicestershire added 22. Blaby's total increased by 16 but all of the other districts and boroughs saw single-digit rises.

Harborough added nine, six were confirmed in Hinckley and Bosworth, Oadby and Wigston added eight and there were three in Melton.

The new cases, updated today at 4pm, mean that the total number of cases across the city and county since the start of the pandemic area by area are :

• Leicester: 34,218
• Blaby: 6,635
• Charnwood: 11,723
• Harborough: 4,856
• Hinckley and Bosworth: 5,720
• Melton: 2,459
• North West Leicestershire: 5,632
• Oadby and Wigston: 4,745

• Leicester: 197.1 cases per 100,000 (698 cases in the last seven days)
• Blaby: 126.1 cases per 100,000 (128)
• Charnwood: 136.7 cases per 100,000 (254)
• Harborough: 115.1 cases per 100,000 (108)
• Hinckley and Bosworth: 115.8 cases per 100,000 (131)
• Melton: 76.2 cases per 100,000 (39)
• North West Leicestershire: 205.6 cases per 100,000 (213)
• Oadby and Wigston: 159.6 cases per 100,000 (91)
• England: 86.4 cases per 100,000 (48,656)