Britain has recorded almost 1,000 coronavirus deaths overnight, the highest daily death toll since late April, according to the official figures released on Wednesday.

The daily number of deaths of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test reached 981, bringing the total to 72,548, according to the official figures.

This is the highest daily deaths reported in the country since April 24, when 1,010 coronavirus-related deaths were reported. There is likely to be a lag in reporting deaths over the Christmas period, the Evening Standard newspaper reported.