Richmond and Wandsworth have been listed as one of the areas at risk of being put back into lockdown- a new list reveals.

Following the news of Leicester going back into lockdown - a new list of 35 other cities and countries across England has been published.

The list has been worked out according to the number of new cases reported week-on-week for each area.

According to data published on the Government's Coronavirus website, while restrictions have eased - cases have risen in several areas.

Richmond Council has since hit back at claims and says the area is not currently at risk of another lockdown.

Councillor Piers Allen, Chair of the Adult Social Care and Housing Committee, and Chair of the Richmond Health and Wellbeing Board said:

“Despite reports in the national papers, Richmond is not about to go into another lockdown.

"It is grossly irresponsible of the Daily Express to publish a report without double-checking their information first.

“However, it would be naive to suggest that we haven’t got any local cases – but compared to elsewhere in the country, our numbers are low.

“Should we ever be in a position where we do have a local outbreak, we will be publishing our plan later this week on how we would work with our local partners to respond.”

What is a local lockdown and how do they work?

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last month said that regional flare-ups of the virus in England would result in 'local lockdown'.

He told a Downing Street briefing there would be 'local lockdowns in the future' with the Joint Biosecurity Centre having a 'response function' that could address local spikes in infections, in partnership with local public health agencies.

Mr Hancock has said that under local lockdowns schools, businesses or workplaces could be closed in areas with a high prevalence of infection.

What powers do councils have already?

Council and public health leaders have said local authorities have the powers needed to tackle outbreaks in schools, businesses or care homes.

But Greg Fell, Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) board member, told a committee of MPs earlier this month that they did not have the power to shut down local areas or whole cities.

Any powers to lock down communities would need to be conferred to local leaders, he told the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.

But he warned that if a city needed to be placed into lockdown “we may well be in national lockdown territory by that time."

In addition to Wandsworth and Richmond, the areas with cases on the rise include:

  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Brent
  • Derbyshire
  • Doncaster
  • Ealing
  • Enfield
  • Gateshead
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hounslow
  • Isle of Wight
  • Kensington and Chelsea
  • Medway
  • Milton Keynes
  • Plymouth
  • Portsmouth
  • Redbridge
  • Redcar and Cleveland
  • Sandwell
  • Slough
  • Suffolk
  • Sunderland
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Wakefield
  • Walsall
  • Westminster
  • Wigan
  • Wiltshire
  • Windsor and Maidenhead
  • York
  • Leicester