THE number of recorded coronavirus cases in the borough has increased by 315 in the latest official daily figures released ahead of Greater Manchester going into Tier Three restrictions on Friday.

Public Health England figures show that 315 cases were confirmed in Wigan borough in the 24 hours up to Wednesday, October 21.

The health body is now including Pillar Two tests – those carried out by in the wider community – alongside Pillar One tests, which are analysed in hospitals or laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

The borough had a weekly infection rate 436.9 per 100,000 in the latest seven-day rolling figure published, as 1,436 cases were recorded in the seven days leading up to October 15. This does not include the data for more recent days.

Leigh and its surrounding areas, along with the whole of Greater Manchester, are to be placed under Tier Three restrictions following an intense political row with regional leaders which failed to see an agreement reached.

In the Wigan borough overall, 7,591 people have now been confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

This means the overall rate of infection in the borough now stands at 2,310 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the England average of 1,190.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 26,687 over the 24-hour period to 789,229.

Wigan borough's cases were among the 167,698 recorded across the North West, a figure which rose by 5,468 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, asymptomatic, have recovered and those that have died.