There has been a drop in new coronavirus cases for every local authority in the region.

The figures, for the seven days to January 21, 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 four days (January 22-25) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Of the 315 local areas in England, 27 (9%) have seen a rise in case rates, 287 (91%) have seen a fall and one is unchanged.

Blackburn with Darwen saw cases drop below the 1000 mark and Burnley was under 500. Hyndburn has the highest rate in the county the equivalent of 591.0 cases per 100,000 people. This was still a drop from 693.5 a week earlier.
Pendle also so a drop in rates from 692.6 (per 100,000) to 534.1.

Elsewhere, Knowsley in Merseyside continues to have the highest rate in England, with 1,358 new cases recorded in the seven days to January 21, the equivalent of 900.2 cases per 100,000 people.

This is down from 1,178.6 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to January 14.
Sandwell in the West Midlands has the second highest rate, down from 910.0 to 833.3, with 2,737 new cases.

Slough in Berkshire is in third place, down from 1,049.9 to 791.8, with 1,184 new cases.

Here is the list in full of local authorities. 

From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to January 21; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to January 21; rate of new cases in the seven days to January 14; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to January 14.

Hyndburn, 591.0, (479), 693.5, (562)
Blackburn with Darwen, 570.5, (854), 672.0, (1006)
Burnley, 555.6, (494), 819.8, (729)
Pendle, 534.1, (492), 692.6, (638)
Preston, 481.4, (689), 511.4, (732)
Rossendale, 422.5, (302), 540.0, (386)
South Ribble, 419.7, (465), 525.3, (582)
Chorley, 348.5, (412), 376.4, (445)
Bolton, 337.3, (970), 388.1, (1116)