A Lancashire health leader has said he is worried about the county as the Indian variant continues to spread.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health for Lancashire County Council, said this morning (May 19) on BBC Radio Lancashire that cases are rising in other areas of the county after the new variant has led to a surge of cases in Blackburn with Darwen.

He said: “I’m pretty worried for parts of Lancashire.

“The cases are rising, the relaxations have happened, we have still got the risks about the virus, particularly the variants indoors and international travel particularly.”

In schools, pupils have been asked to continue wearing masks in Lancashire, despite the Government easing this rule across the country.

As well as this, leaders have asked that people take a lateral flow test the day they arrive home from international travel on top of the two other tests which must be taken.

He added: “It’s very clear in some areas the risks are higher compared to other areas in the country.

“We just will continue to ask people to go on that fast lane for vaccination, lets get those vaccinations done as much as possible to avoid another surge, particularly another surge of people in our hospitals.”

The Indian variant has now been detected in other areas of the county, including Burnley, which has seen infection rates jump to over double what they were the previous week.

The health director reminded the public the importance of the basic principles of tackling the virus, including hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing.

He added: “We can all be doing our part.

“We have all been doing a fantastic job I must say and thank the people of Lancashire.

“I am pleading just be extra careful in your handwashing, your face masks, your distancing and do the things we have always done really well to avoid another surge.”

The health leader also agreed with a comment made at the start of the week by Blackburn with Darwen's health leader, Dominic Harrison, that the next two weeks will be a 'crucial fortnight for Lancashire'.

Also speaking on BBC Radio Lancashire, Professor Harrison said that people in the borough will be suprised how eligible they are for the vaccine after the are secured an extra 1,000 Pfizer doses per day.

He said: "The next two weeks are going to be critical. They are probably going to be the most important weeks of the pandemic for Blackburn with Darwen and probably for Lancashire.

“There is a risk of course that the high transmission of this variant, we think it is much more infectious than the English variant - that risk will not be contained in a single borough.

“My colleague Sakthi is also working very hard to try and get support for those areas where we have got some early signals that the Indian variant is rising.”

DCC Terry Woods has said that as restrictions have eased this week, the responsibility has moved away from the police and is now with the public.

He said: “The responsibility is around the rules is definitely in the publics hands now and has been taken away from the police.

“I describe my week this week – we are definitely back to normal and we are really busy.”

The detective chief constable added that the force received nearly 1,000 999 calls yesterday (May 18), matching what would normally be a busy day pre-covid.

He added: “If we are back to normal but people are taking precautions then great but if we are back to normal and people have let their guard down, combine that with some of the issues we have got in some of the towns and I think it’s quite worrying at the minute.”