Covid: The South Ribble, Preston and Wyre neighbourhoods with the biggest case rate rises in a week

Government data shows that the Lower Penwortham North area saw its rate rise from 284.6 to 1,316.5 per 100,000 people in the seven days to 23rd December - a leap of 363 percent compared to a week earlier. That puts it 12th in England in terms of growth over that period.

However, the area is only seventh out of 17 in the borough when measured by raw case rate numbers rather than by how much they have increased.

The part of the district with the highest overall case rate is Lostock Hall, where it stood at 1,745.2 per 100,000 in the week to 23rd December.

Lancashire has 11 of the 100 English neighbourhoods with the fastest growth in case rates in that timeframe - including four in Central Lancashire.

In addition to Lower Penwortham North, Frenchwood and Fishwick in Preston is at number 43 - with a 277 percent increase from 194.1 to 733.2 per 100,000 of the population.

Back in South Ribble, Leyland South West registered a 263 percent rise from 300.2 to 1090.0, putting it in 52nd place nationally, while in Wyre, the Garstang and Catterall neighbourhood experienced a 226 percent increase from 283.5 to 925.0, earning it the 94th spot.

Two of out of the top 10 areas of England with the highest case rate rises are here in Lancashire - both in the Pendle district - including the second place Marsden neighbourhood, where figures rocketed by 660 percent in the space of the week in question.

The increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant is likely to account for such significant increases.

However, the latest hospital data for Central Lancashire shows that the number of people in the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital with Covid is holding steady at 36 as of 21st December - the latest date for which data is available - having been within seven patients of that tally for around a month. However, there can be a lag of up to two weeks before cases translate into hospitalisations, were they to do so.

The Broughton and Wychnor neighbourhood had the highest overall case rate in Preston in the week to 23rd December at 1566.1, while in Chorley that unwanted crown went to Clayton-le-Woods (1672.3 per 100,000).

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