Six new coronavirus cases confirmed in Milton Keynes today

The city's infection rate per 100,000 people is now higher than that of Bedford, which has been an official area of concern for several weeks.

As of today, 951 people in Milton Keynes have tested positive since the start of the pandemic. But many more may have been infected and did not get tested.

MK Council is concerned about the spike in local cases since the start of this month. They say recent positive tests are mainly coming from people in their 20s and 30s - the age group most likely to go to pubs and restaurants.

For this reason the council is sending its officers to conduct spot checks in MK pubs and licensed premised to make sure people are sticking to social distancing rules.

It has also launched a special hotline email at [email protected]for people to report any business or individual body who is breaking the regulations. See the Citizen story here .

Nationally 853 more people tested positive today and there were four more deaths. There are 834 Covid-19 patients currently in hospitals throughout the UK, with 72 of them in ventilator beds.