Leicester’s rate of new Covid-19 cases has dropped to a level last seen nearly a month ago, new figures suggest.

The equivalent of 106.4 cases per 100,000 people were detected in the city in the seven days to July 4, according to the latest data published by NHS Digital.

This is the lowest level since 101.1 cases per 100,000 were recorded in the seven days to June 11.

The rate peaked in the seven days to June 25, when 159.1 cases per 100,000 were recorded.

Leicester’s local lockdown was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on the evening of June 29.

Lockdown restrictions were subsequently tightened in parts of the city and nearby suburbs, with non-essential shops ordered to close and people urged not to travel in or out of the area.

The figures for Leicester are based on the number of people with coronavirus identified through an NHS lab (‘pillar 1’ of the Government’s testing programme) or from commercial swab testing (‘pillar 2’).

Because of the time it takes for tests to be processed, NHS Digital uses data only up to three days before the current calendar date, to allow for any revisions to the figures.

New data on confirmed cases of Covid-19 for every local authority in England is published daily.