Here’s where Covid cases are rising fastest in Batley, Dewsbury and Spen

They are also on the up in many neighbourhoods within Kirklees.

There were 570,550 positive cases in the UK in the week ending March 17, a huge 39 per cent jump on the week before.

It has affected nearly all areas. Some 366 of the UK’s 380 local authorities (96 per cent) saw cases rise in the past week, with two areas - Torridge in Devon and Burnley in Lancashire - seeing cases double.

The lifting of many restrictions, waning effectiveness of boosters and the spread of the highly contagious BA.2 "stealth Omicron" variant have all been touted as potential reasons for rising infection rates.

At a regional level, Scotland still had the highest case rate in the week to March 17, at 1,619 cases per 100,000 residents.

This was followed by the South West, with 1,200 cases per 100,000 residents.

The lowest case rate was in Wales, with 412 cases per 100,000 residents.

The figures include both positive PCR and lateral flow tests, except in Wales where only PCRs are counted.

They include people infected with Covid-19 for the first time as well as re-infections.

At neighbourhood level, Covid-19 case rates have been published for the week to March 17.

Here are the neighbourhoods in North Kirklees with the biggest rise in case rates in the past week.

Dewsbury Savile Town and Thornhill Lees had 126.8 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 250.3 per cent from the week before.

Liversedge, Littletown and Millbridge had 557.4 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 249.9 per cent from the week before.

Staincliffe and Healey had 262.2 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 185.6 per cent from the week before.

Shaw Cross and Hanging Heaton had 583.4 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 125.0 per cent from the week before.

Birstall had 589.0 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 119.2 per cent from the week before.

Birkenshaw had 788.0 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 114.8 per cent from the week before.

Heckmondwike North had 394.3 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 109.1 per cent from the week before.

Wilton Park, Carlinghow and Brookroyd had 462.4 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 94.4 per cent from the week before.

Ravensthorpe had 160.8 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 87.4 per cent from the week before.

Battyeford had 466.2 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 72.2 per cent from the week before.

Gomersal had 456.7 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 57.2 per cent from the week before.

Scholes and Hunsworth had 559.4 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 52.0 per cent from the week before.

Heckmondwike Town, Norristhorpe and Roberttown had 524.9 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 48.3 per cent from the week before.

Dewsbury Moor Upper had 302.6 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 33.4 per cent from the week before.

Earlsheaton and Chickenley had 455.7 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 32.4 per cent from the week before.

Mirfield Central and Hopton had 670.6 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 23.7 per cent from the week before.

Dewsbury Central and Westborough had 197.8 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a rise of 7.2 per cent from the week before.

Batley Carr and Mount Pleasant had 104.9 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, no change from the week before.

Dewsbury Moor Lower and Westtown had 84.9 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, no change from the week before.

In better news, the following neighbourhoods all saw a decrease in their Covid rates in the latest week.

Cleckheaton had 348.4 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a decrease of 37.5 per cent from the week before

Hightown and Hartshead Moor had 381.8 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a decrease of 27.8 per cent from the week before.

Thornhill had 281.5 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a decrease of 17.4 per cent from the week before.

Batley Central had 128.3 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a decrease of 10.0 per cent from the week before.

Upper Batley and Soothill had 204.9 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the latest week, a decrease of 6.7 per cent from the week before.