Britain's government reported 53,135 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number since mass testing started in mid-2020 and up sharply from the previous record of 41,385 set on Monday.

The number of new deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID test also rose to 414 from Monday's 357, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 71,567.

(With input from agencies)