PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has highlighted Warrington as a 'success story'.

Mr Johnson was speaking at a press conference this evening, Thursday, after a new tier system was introduced for England.

Warrington, along with the Liverpool City Region, have both dropped a tier level from the most restrictive 3 to 2.

And Mr Johnson highlighted the falling infection rates over the past few weeks during the press conference.

He said: "The Liverpool City Region and Warrington is a success story which we want other parts of the country to replicate."

Latest figures show 393 people tested positive for coronavirus in Warrington in the past seven days, compared to above 900 when it moved to tier 3 in October.

The Prime Minister told a No 10 news conference that he was "sorry" about the effect the measures would have.

"If we ease off now we risk losing control over this virus all over again, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us back into a new year national lockdown with all the damage that would mean," he said.

"I know this will bring a great deal of heartache and frustration especially for our vital hospitality sector.

"I really wish it were otherwise but if we are going to keep schools open, as we must, then our options in bearing down on the disease are necessarily limited.

"There is no doubt that the restrictions in all tiers are tough and I am sorry about that."

Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the previous tier system did not manage to decrease the infection rate enough.

He said: "The message is that the tiers worked in terms of slowing but didn't work in terms of flattening and reversing it.

"The national lockdown looks as if it has flattened it and is sending it downwards and it is important we do bring it down because numbers remain high."

Sir Patrick said one in 85 people in the country have coronavirus at the moment, numbers which he said were "very high".

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said even under the new tiers system, Tier 1 would lead to an increase in infections.

He said: "Tier 1, which is very similar to the previous Tier 1, slowed things down but did not stop the rise anywhere.

"So the reason why Tier 1 at this time of year, with the current measures we currently have before we have any vaccines, is relatively limited is almost certainly anywhere going into Tier 1 will rise and the only places that are there are places with very low rates at the moment."