The United Kingdom R number is still below one - between 0.7 and 0.9, official figures show.

This week's R rate ( Reproduction number) is largely unchanged from last week's, which scientists estimated was between 0.6 and 0.9.

Today's figure means that on average, every 10 people with COVID-19 will infect between seven and nine others.

Although the R number is below one across England, it is between 0.7 and one in the North East and Yorkshire.

This means it could soon rise above one and infections start growing again - instead of shrinking like elsewhere in the country.

"Although the epidemic continues to decrease nationally, there may be more variation in transmission locally, with some indications that the rate of decline in infections could be slowing in some areas," the government's Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) warned.

(With input from the agencies)