COUNCIL health chiefs say they remain concerned about the increase in Covid-19 cases across Cheshire East with a recent surge in Congleton.

The borough was designated as an Enhanced Response Area on June 14 with high rates of infection identified in Crewe and Macclesfield. Cases of the highly-transmissible Delta variant have continued to rise, but more recently in Congleton, Middlewich and Sandbach.

Additional testing resources have been delivered along with mobile vaccination pop-ups, but Director of Public Health at Cheshire East Council Dr Matt Tyrer admitted: "Despite all our efforts, we are now seeing worrying patterns of infection emerging. We can't afford to become complacent otherwise we will keep seeing rates rise and our schools and businesses will continue suffering disruption.

"We all have to be socially responsible and do the right thing for ourselves and for each other. This includes young people as the majority of new cases are in the 10 to 39 age group and whether you are a young person or an adult, it's in our hands to do the right thing."

Crewe councillor Jill Rhodes, who is the chair of Cheshire East's adults and health committee added: "We are so close to our lives returning to normal, but now is not the time to let our guard down."

The seven-day rolling rate of infection for the whole borough (per 100,000 of population) rose to 165 today (Friday) when government figures showed 146 people tested positive for Covid-19.

Over the last seven days there have been 865 positive tests, a rise of nearly 60 per cent on the previous week.

For more information on testing, vaccinations and self-isolation support, go to the council's Covid-19 webpage.