DORSET is predicted to become a coronavirus hotspot in a matter of weeks, an interactive map shows.

Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester and west Dorset are currently in the lowest risk category - however the map, created by experts at Imperial College London, shows that the risk of infection is due to rise rapidly and the area has a 75 per cent chance of being among the UK's worst hotspots by October 25.

The team at Imperial College London defines a 'hotspot' as a local authority where there are more than 50 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 of the population per week.

The map shows that the Bournemouth Christchurch Poole area is a current hotspot. Towards the end of the month it is predicted that the infection rate will increase here in south Dorset.

Click here to view the interactive map

Imperial College London said: "For future weeks, we give probabilities based on our model, which assumes a situation in which no change in interventions (e.g. local lockdowns) occur. To define weeks we use specimen dates, ie the day on which tests are taken."

Data on daily reported cases and weekly reported deaths is used along with “mathematical modelling” to report on the probability that a local authority will become a 'hotspot' in the following week.

Local authorities with a 75 to 100 percent chance of being 'hotspot' areas appear in red on a map of the UK.

Dorset has a very low chance of becoming a ‘hotspot’ until around October 12. The probability then rises to 62 per cent until October 25, by which point many parts of the UK show as 'hot spot' areas - including Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester, Bridport and surrounding areas.

It is predicted that Boris Johnson will announce strict new lockdown measures tomorrow, which could see thousands of pubs closed and millions of people banned from mixing.

Meanwhile, experts from the British Medical Association have advised that face masks should become mandatory in offices and all workplace settings.

Speaking last month, lead researcher Professor Axel Gandy, from the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College London, said: "COVID-19 is, unfortunately, very much still with us, but we hope this will be a useful tool for local and national governments trying to bring hotspots under control.”

Between September 28 and October 4 the Dorset Council area recorded 93 cases and the BCP Council area recorded 265. These figures were up from 29 and 78, respectively, for the previous week.

Public Health Dorset has urged residents to be "vigilant".