The four areas of Sussex with the highest coronavirus rates

In the week leading up to January 9, all local authority areas in the county reported coronavirus rates of more than 400 new cases per 100,000 population, with the rates in Crawley and Eastbourne surpassing 800.

Now, all but three local authority areas in Sussex have a rate of less than 100. The exceptions are Arun (120.7), Crawley (108.5) and Worthing (103.1).

Scroll down for a full list of all the latest coronavirus rates in Sussex local authority areas.

A coronavirus test

But data issued by Public Health England shows there are small pockets of the county where the coronavirus rate is currently far higher than the Sussex average.

The figures are displayed on an interactive map produced by the government, which is split into The maps are split into Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOA).

These are a geographic hierarchy designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics in England and Wales, with each area having a minimum population of 5,000 and a maximum population of 7,200, and are updated daily.

• READ MORE: Investigation to find person with Covid 'variant of concern'

In Sussex, there are four MSOAs where the coronavirus rate is currently more than 300 new weekly cases per 100,000 population, for the week leading up to February 23.

These are the most recent complete figures. Data for the most recent four days (February 24-March 1) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock takes a coronavirus test at a new Covid-19 testing facility in the Houses of Parliament 

The MSOAs in Sussexwith the highest coronavirus rates are:

• Lewes West: 24 new weekly cases were reported giving it a rate of 307.4 cases per 100,000 population
• Worthing Central: 37 new weekly cases were reported giving it a rate of 359.6 cases per 100,000 population
• Felpham: 34 new weekly cases were reported giving it a rate of 340.1 cases per 100,000 population
• North Bersted: 29 new weekly cases were reported giving it a rate of 323.1 cases per 100,000 population

Coronavirus cases in Sussex have dropped significantly since the start of the third national lockdown

The sharp rise recorded recently in Felpham has drawn the attention of government officials.

The increase in the village's coronavirus rate was revealed during the Downing Street press conference last Friday.

It is not said to be an area of concern, but there is unusual activity in the data for the village.

• READ MORE: Village in Sussex records 142 per cent rise in coronavirus cases

Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow at the University of Southampton said outbreaks like the one seen in Felpham will become a more frequent fixture as lockdown restrictions are eased.

He told Sky News: "We are going to see outbreaks crop up across the country. As cases get lower, those outbreaks will get more noticeable.

"If there's a prison in the borough, or if there's an outbreak in a care home or a hospital ward, that can increase the case rate that might push the numbers up rather than down."

A medical laboratory assistant prepares Covid-19 tests for analysis in a laboratory 

Here is the list of all the latest coronavirus rates in local authority areas across Sussex. From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to February 23; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to February 23; rate of new cases in the seven days to February 19; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to February 19. 

• Arun, 120.7 (194), 132.5, (213)
• Crawley, 108.5 (122), 129.9, (146)
• Worthing, 103.1 (114), 76.0, (84)
• Mid Sussex, 78.8 (119), 82.1, (124)
• Hastings, 76.6 (71), 61.5, (57)
• Chichester, 57 (69), 70.2, (85)
• Eastbourne, 55.9 (58), 48.2 (50)
• Brighton and Hove, 50.9 (148), 50.5, (147)
• Rother, 43.7 (42), 34.3, (33)
• Adur, 43.5 (28), 54.4, (35)
• Wealden, 38.4 (62), 49.5, (80)
• Horsham, 36.2 (52), 39.6, (57)