MORE than 70 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the BCP Council area in the past 24 hours, latest figures show.

Data released by the government reports that 72 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the conurbation in the 24 hours leading up to 4pm today.

This takes the total BCP Council cases since the start of the pandemic to 1,501, with an infection rate of 379.7 per 100,000 people.

In the Dorset Council area, 25 more cases have been recorded, taking the total to 893, a rate of 235.9 per 100,000.

Meanwhile, 11 more people tested positive in the New Forest. There has now been 672 cases in the New Forest since the start of the pandemic, a rate of 373.3 per 100,000 people.

A further 54 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospitals across England, taking the total to 30,280.

Patients were aged between 43 and 93 years old. All but one patient, aged 79, had known underlying health conditions.

None of the deaths came in the south west.