Neighbouring town to Milton Keynes now has the highest Covid-19 infection rate in England

The town is now at the top of the Public Health England infection rate list following an outbreak of 300 cases among workers at a sandwich factory.

Even before the outbreak though, the town was flagged up by the government as an area of concern due to its rising number of Covid infections.

Similarly the two other towns that border MK - Bedford and Luton - remain on the government watchlist.

Northampton has seen 1,680 officially-confirmed Covid cases since the start of the pandemic and more than 520 Covid-linked deaths. This compares to 929 cases and 104 deaths in MK.

Luton has experienced 1,685 cases and Bedford's total is 1,398.

While Milton Keynes' infection rate has been rising over the past three weeks, the city figures remain low to average compared to the rest of the nation - and particularly the local region.

But MK Council leader Pete Marland has warned the people of Milton Keynes must not be complacent. And if infections continues to show signs of getting out of control, the council will not hesitate to introduce local restriction measures, he said earlier this week.

"Most recent cases have been in young adults, particularly people in their 20s and 30s. And they've been spread across several areas of Milton Keynes, not just on one place. I must therefore say this: If people continue not to follow the guidance and if cases continue to rise, if it highly likely that restrictions will be reimposed here."

Pete added: "I understand some people are fatigued and want to return to normal. However, our low numbers does not mean that we should become complacent. Covid-19 is highly infectious... There is still a responsibility on us all to stop the spread."