NEARLY 300 new cases of coronavirus were recorded across Bolton on Monday, as the total number of cases passes 9,000.

An additional 280 people across the borough received a positive test result in the 24 hours up to 9am on Monday.

A total of 1,523 cases were seen in the seven days up to October 22, bringing the borough's infection rate to 529.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Bolton has climbed back up into the top ten most infectious areas of the country, with the ninth highest infection rate in England.

Barnsley, Rochdale, Salford, and Knowsley have all seen infection rates between 550 and 600, whilst Wigan, Oldham, and Rossendale all reported infection rates between 601 and 653.

Blackburn with Darwen currently has the highest rate of infection in the country, with 755.5 cases per 100,000 people. after 1131 new infections were reported in the area over the last week.

To date, 9,225 people in the area have been infected with covid-19 – almost double the number of cases seen this time last month.

Across the country, 894,690 cases have been recorded since March, with around 59,000 registered deaths featuring covid-19 on the death certificate.

The latest update came as Warrington moved into Tier 3 restrictions, which came into effect at midnight.