Sussex area has one of the lowest coronavirus rates in England

Rother has the fifth lowest figure of the 315 local authority areas in the country.

In the week leading up to February 15, the most recent complete figures, there were 33 new cases recorded in the district.

This gave it a weekly coronavirus rate of 34.3 new cases per 100,000 population.

Only the four Devon areas of South Hams (23), North Devon (22.6), West Devon (19.7) and Torridge (14.6) recorded lower figures.

The number of cases in Rother has fallen dramatically over the last two months.

On December 20, it was one of only two areas in Sussex (alongside Hastings) to be placed in the newly created Tier 4 due to a violent spike in positive tests. It is believed this rapid rise in infections was due to the spread of the more transmissible Kent strain of coronavirus.

In the seven days leading up to December 21 there were 645 positive test reported in the district, giving it a weekly rate of 671.3 new cases per 100,000 population.

But, following the introduction of a third national lockdown, cases have fallen significantly in Rother, as well as all other areas of Sussex.

Here is a list of the latest coronavirus rates in all local authority areas of Sussex in full. From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to February 15; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to February 15; rate of new cases in the seven days to February 8; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to February 8.

• Crawley, 162.8, (183), 224.2, (252)
• Arun, 136.9, (220), 179.8, (289)
• Chichester, 91.6, (111), 165.1, (200)
• Hastings, 83.1, (77), 138.1, (128)
• Eastbourne, 81.0, (84), 135.9, (141)
• Adur, 71.5, (46), 102.6, (66)
• Mid Sussex, 68.2, (103), 84.1, (127)
• Worthing, 63.3, (70), 145.6, (161)
• Brighton and Hove, 62.9, (183), 99.4, (289)
• Horsham, 58.4, (84), 118.2, (170)
• Wealden, 54.5, (88), 100.9, (163)
• Rother, 34.3, (33), 59.3, (57)

The figures, for the seven days to February 15, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government’s testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (February 16-19) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Of the 315 local areas in England, 14 (4 per cent) have seen a rise in case rates, 299 (95 per cent) have seen a fall and two are unchanged.

Corby in Northamptonshire has the highest rate in England, with 235 new cases recorded in the seven days to February 15 – the equivalent of 325.4 cases per 100,000 people.

This is down from 404.3 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to February 8.

Middlesbrough has the second highest rate, down from 358.9 to 295.8, with 417 new cases.

Ashfield in Nottinghamshire is in third place, down from 298.6 to 286.9, with 367 new cases.

Of the 14 areas to record a week-on-week rise, the top five are:

• Boston (up from 155.3 to 205.2)

• North West Leicestershire (187.2 to 235.5)

• Exeter (37.3 to 73.8)

South Lakeland (68.5 to 99.0)

• Tameside (180.1 to 204.0)