Covid: Sedgemoor case rate now highest in England

Bridgwater has a higher than average number of young people, the town mayor's said

A market town has the highest rates of coronavirus cases in England, Public Health England has said.

Sedgemoor District Council said the number of cases had doubled in the past week due to more socialising, with the most recorded in Bridgwater, Somerset.

Councillors added that more than half of the recorded cases were from young people under the age of 34.

Health specialists suspect it is due to people going back to a life of "normality" and meeting indoors again.

The figures published showed that in Sedgemoor there were 802 new cases in the seven days to 16 August - the equivalent of 649.7 per 100,000 people.

Wardens

This is up from 397.7 in the seven days to 9 August.

It also has the second biggest week-on-week rise after the Isle of Wight.

Public health specialist Stewart Brock, from Somerset County Council, said the rise was due to people "socialising" and "letting their guard down" and having "more social contact" indoors.

"It's mainly in the teens and twenties, more than half the cases that we're recording are in that age group.

"I think it's just a reflection that people have been getting back to some sort of normality.

"We have Covid wardens visiting businesses where we're seeing cases just to make sure they are doing everything they should be to reduce the risk.

"There's nothing we can specifically put our fingers on," he added.

The town's mayor, Leigh Redman said: "Bridgwater has a pretty young population compared to the rest of the county.

"Things are opening up and there's a higher level of social contact.

"I want to stress we're all in this together so please follow the guidance," he added.