NEW data shows Herefordshire's coronavirus infection rate has fallen significantly over the last two weeks.

The statistics, released by the Government, show the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 for each of the 315 local authorities in England.

The figures, for the seven days to July 27, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government’s testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent three days (July 28-30) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.

In Herefordshire, the rate has fallen to 5.7 in the seven days to July 27, down from 16.1 in figures for the period to July 20.

Over the last two weeks, it means Herefordshire has fallen from fourth to 112th in the list.

The high infection rate of 43.7 two weeks ago came after 83 new cases were found in the seven days to July 13, linked to an outbreak on AS Green and Co in Mathon, near Ledbury.

Some 134 cases have now been linked at the farm, which supplies vegetables to some of the UK's largest supermarkets.

READ MORE: Farm outbreak latest

Officials say the risk to the wider public remains low, and the majority of workers have recovered.

In Blackburn with Darwen, the rate has risen from 83.3 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to July 20 to 89.3 in the seven days to July 27. A total of 133 new cases have been recorded.

Leicester is in second place, where the seven-day rate has fallen from 67.8 to 60.2, with 214 new cases.

Here is the top 20 areas in the list.

From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; the rate of new cases in the seven days to July 27; the number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to July 27; the rate of new cases in the seven days to July 20; the number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to July 20.

  1. Blackburn with Darwen 89.3 (133), 83.3 (124)
  2. Leicester 60.2 (214), 67.8 (241)
  3. Oldham 54.3 (128), 23.3 (55)
  4. Bradford 48.0 (258), 44.5 (239)
  5. Pendle 42.7 (39), 27.4 (25)
  6. Trafford 41.0 (97), 15.2 (36)
  7. Calderdale 33.8 (71), 20.9 (44)
  8. Rochdale 31.4 (69), 50.5 (111)
  9. Melton 31.3 (16), 7.8 (4)
  10. Eden 30.3 (16), 35.9 (19)
  11. Swindon 28.8 (64), 9.0 (20)
  12. Sandwell 28.1 (92), 26.9 (88)
  13. Hyndburn 27.2 (22), 44.5 (36)
  14. Manchester 26.1 (143), 14.1 (77)
  15. Kirklees 23.0 (101), 26.9 (118)
  16. Salford 21.2 (54), 13.4 (34)
  17. Preston 21.2 (30), 12.0 (17)
  18. Northampton 20.4 (46), 26.2 (59)
  19. Burnley 20.3 (18), 14.7 (13)
  20. Peterborough 19.9 (40), 21.9 (44)

Here's how Herefordshire compares with neighbouring areas:

82. Worcester 6.9 (7), 3.9 (4)

112. Herefordshire 5.7 (11), 16.1 (31)

122. Shropshire 5.3 (17), 0.9 (3)

128. Cheltenham 5.1 (6), 3.4 (4)

168. Malvern Hills 3.8 (3), 0.0 (0)

291. Gloucester 0.8 (1), 1.5 (2)

312. Forest of Dean 0.0 (0), 2.3 (2)