A SECOND school has closed in Hastings as the town's coronavirus rate continues to rise.

St Leonards Church Of England Primary Academy will be shut to all pupils other than the children of key workers until the new year.

This comes as the most recent figures show that the weekly coronavirus rate in Hastings has now reached 254.7 new cases per 100,000 people in the seven days leading up to December 6, with 236 people testing positive for the virus in the town during this period.

The Argus: The coronavirus rate in Hastings has increased significantlyThe coronavirus rate in Hastings has increased significantly

This is a huge increase on the figure of 68 new cases per 100,000 people recorded during the previous week.

It also marks a significant rise from the figure issued yesterday - 199.7 cases per 100,000 people in the week leading up to December 5.

St Leonards Church Of England Primary Academy is not the first school to close in the town this week.

The Baird Primary Academy announced yesterday morning that it would be shut to all pupils except for the children of key workers until the start of the spring term.

The Argus: Two schools in Hastings have now closedTwo schools in Hastings have now closed

Speaking at an East Sussex County Council meeting on Tuesday, the authority's director of public health said that many of the new cases in Hastings had been recorded among people aged between ten and 19.

He issued an updated warning yesterday.

Mr Gale said: "I'm worried...and you should be too.

"We’re seeing a worrying rise in Covid infections in parts of East Sussex. We must act now to change this trend, or our lives will get much more difficult.

"The number of people with new cases of Covid has doubled in the Hastings area in recent days and is climbing sharply in Rother.

"We aren’t seeing the same rises in other parts of the county yet, but that could change quickly.

"The good news is that we can control this situation together."

He urged people to follow Tier 2 restrictions and avoid crowded places to prevent the virus from spreading further.