CHESHIRE East has almost twice as many new cases of coronavirus as Cheshire West in the latest figures from Public Health England.

New data covers the 24-hour period up to 9am today, November 26, when there were 86 new cases of Covid-19 in Cheshire East – including Knutsford, Wilmslow and Middlewich.

That is similar to the 83 cases confirmed yesterday and takes the total number of Covid cases in the borough to 8,706 since the pandemic started.

In Cheshire West, including Northwich and Winsford, there were 48 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in the 24-hour period up to 9am today.

That is fewer than the 60 confirmed yesterday and takes the borough’s total to 8,770 since the pandemic started.

It means 134 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed across the two boroughs today – more than half the total number confirmed in the area last Thursday, when there were 280.

Meanwhile, the seven-day infection rate continues to fall in both boroughs, with the latest data covering the week up to November 21.

Cheshire West’s infection rate is now 185.1 per 100,000 people, down from 306.9, one week earlier.

Cheshire East’s is 165.3 per 100,000 people, down from 233 one week earlier.

Both boroughs were placed in Tier 2 restrictions today, ahead of the end of lockdown on December 2, and if infection rates continue to fall the county could move down to Tier 1 in future – with the measures set to be reviewed after every fortnight.