Sunny weather and the easing of lockdown rules has seen people flock outdoors in south east London this week, but the latest Covid-19 case stats show mixed results across the boroughs.

In two south east London boroughs, cases have begun to rise, but elsewhere they remain consistently low ahead of Easter.

Increased scrutiny will be on the progress of coronavirus infections as residents prepare to enjoy the holiday under new, more relaxed restrictions.

Wednesday's Covid-19 figures, accurate for the seven days up until March 27, show the Covid-19 rate, expressed as the number of cases recorded in the last week per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (March 28-31) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

It is in Bexley where the most alarming rise in new cases has been seen.

Covid-19 rates for south east London, PA Wire

Covid-19 rates for south east London, PA Wire

The Covid-19 rate for the past week is 59.6, still far from figures in the 1,000s seen in December, but still a noteworthy rise from 27.8 the week prior.

The borough recorded 148 new cases.

Greenwich also say a rise in it's Covid-19 rate from 35.1 to 42.77, and recorded 123 new cases in the last week.

Lewisham's Covid-19 rate fell from 29.4 to 23.9 this week, with 73 new cases recorded.

And in Bromley, the case rate is 21.7, down from 24.1, with 72 new cases.

Nearby, Dartford has seen it's infection rate more than double to 63.1, Croydon has seen a small fall to 22.8 and Southwark has also seen a decline to 21.3.

Covid-19 rates for south east London, PA Wire

Covid-19 rates for south east London, PA Wire

Corby in Northamptonshire continues to have the highest rate in England, with 155 new cases recorded in the seven days to March 27, the equivalent of 214.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Rotherham has the second highest rate, up from 137.1 to 170.7, with 453 new cases.

North Warwickshire has the third highest rate, up from 73.5 to 168.5, with 110 new cases.

The five areas with the biggest week-on-week rise are:

  • North Warwickshire (up from 73.5 to 168.5)
  • Hinckley & Bosworth (42.4 to 103.4)
  • Copeland (7.3 to 44.0)
  • Trafford (37.9 to 74.2)
  • South Kesteven (84.3 to 120.1)

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency based on Public Health England data published on March 31 on the Government's coronavirus dashboard.