Infection rates have dropped below 70 cases per 100,000 in all six boroughs with rates still dropping.

Rates have dropped dramatically in the six boroughs, with the highest rate at 68.8 in Blackburn, compared to 114.9 per 100,000 last week.

Burnley has also reported a drop in cases, and their rate now stands at 56.2, compared to 66.4 in the week before.

Hyndburn has a rate of below 50, at 49.4 down from, 64.2, while the Ribble Valley has dropped from 57.5 last week to 39.4.

The lowest rate is in Pendle at 29.3, a drop from 49.9, while the rate in Rossendale stands at 33.6.

The figures, for the seven days to April 2, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government’s testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (April 3-6) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Of the 315 local areas in England, 31 (10%) have seen a rise in case rates, 276 (88%) have seen a fall and eight are unchanged.

Corby in Northamptonshire continues to have the highest rate in England, with 105 new cases recorded in the seven days to April 2 – the equivalent of 145.4 cases per 100,000 people.

This is down from 242.3 per 100,000 in the seven days to March 26.

Doncaster has the second highest rate, down from 135.6 to 113.5, with 354 new cases.

Barnsley has the third highest rate, down from 153.5 to 110.6, with 273 new cases.