Covid-19: Corby has second-highest rate of cases in England

Corby has the second-highest rate of Covid-19 cases in England, amid concerns too many people in the town were still required to go to work.

The town had 486 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to 30 January.

That represents a 13% decrease from the 558.5 cases per 100,000 leading up to 23 January.

Consultant in Public Health at Northamptonshire County Council, Rhosyn Harris, said the rates remained a "considerable concern".

He added that Corby's Community Lateral Flow Device Testing centre "enables us to find more positive cases".

On Wednesday, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said the number of cases nationally were on a "downward slope".

Corby Borough Council leader Tom Beattie wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 8 January to raise concerns about the "disproportionate number of our residents being required to continue to go to work" due to the high amount of manufacturing and distribution in the town.

In the week to 9 January, Corby had a 25% week-on-week rise in cases to 934.7 per 100,000 people.

This week Mr Beattie said he had received a "less than satisfactory" reply from the government. "It reiterated the current regulations," he said.

"There is serious concern that if you go around the businesses on industrial estates in Corby it looks pretty much business as usual, with people travelling to and from work."

Mr Beattie has previously raised concerns about agency workers being bussed into factories.

"One warehouse has been bussing people in from as far afield as London and they've been put up in hotels," he said.

"My concern has always been about the regulations themselves. I've never accused anyone of breaking the law, but clearly things like busloads of workers going in and out of Corby doesn't seem very safe."

At the time, Corby's Conservative MP Tom Pursglove said a government task force would be looking at the situation, but added that he and Public Health Northamptonshire believed community transmission remained the main cause of new cases in the town.

The government's reply to Mr Beattie said some roles "require people to attend the workplace, provided that Covid-19 secure guidelines are followed closely".

It added that suitable risk assessments and control measures must be in place.

Ms Harris said coronavirus case rates in Corby "appear to be plateauing at a rate which remains high" and "are starting to rise again in some age groups".

She added: "The vaccination programme is progressing well across the county, but this does not give cause for complacency."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]