THESE are the nine areas of Bradford with the worst Covid-19 infection rates, where the virus is spreading out of control.

All nine areas have infection rates in excess of 300 per 100,000 people and have seen case numbers skyrocket in recent days.

It comes as the Bradford district’s infection rate has reached 214.7 infections per 100,000 people, the highest weekly rate since February and up from 148.8 a week earlier.

There were 1,159 cases of Covid-19 in the district in the seven days to June 27, a 356 (44 per cent) rise from the week before, with rural areas around Keighley being particularly hard hit by outbreaks.

Oakworth & Laycock is the area in the district with the highest rate; Covid is currently rampant in the villages with the rate sitting at 868.5, and case numbers up 588 per cent.

It is followed by Keighley Exley Head which has also been particularly hard hit by Covid in the past few days, its cases have gone up 443 per cent and its infection rate is 515.

Almost a dozen towns and villages in the neighbouring areas around Bradford have also recorded infection rates in excess of 300 per 100,000 people, hit hard by the spread of Covid.

It comes just over two weeks after Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown comes into force with the majority of Covid restrictions being dropped from that day onwards.

These are the nine areas of the Bradford district worst affected by Bradford in the past seven days:

  • Oakworth & Laycock – 868.5 infections per 100,000 people
  • Keighley Exley Head – 515
  • Steeton & Silsden – 465.6
  • Keighley South – 355.7
  • Haworth & Oxenhope – 342.7
  • Clayton – 337.8
  • Cottingley, Harden & Wilsden – 320.8
  • Haigh Fold – 312.6
  • Chellow Heights – 310.5

These are the worst hit areas in areas surrounding Bradford, in west and north-west Leeds, around Brighouse, and in the Skipton area:

  • Yeadon South – 594.7
  • Horsforth South & Rawdon – 480.5
  • Rastrick West - 479
  • Yeadon West – 448.5
  • Pudsey South East – 429.8
  • Calverley & Farsley North – 386.4
  • New Pudsey – 380
  • Otley South – 379.7
  • Pudsey South West – 333.2
  • Bramhope & Pool-in-Wharfedale – 318.4
  • Carleton, Cowling & Cononley – 302.6

Next door to Bradford, Leeds is currently being ravaged by Covid infections, particularly in areas densely populated by students.

The city as a whole has an infection rate of 354.5 and has recorded 2,812 cases in the last week, up almost half from the week before.

Hyde Park has an infection rate of 1,452.7, while Headingley’s rate is 1,197, in Hyde Park Corner & Woodhouse Cliff it is 978.9 and in Burley the rate is 902.1.

In total there are two dozen areas with infection rates in excess of 400. By contrast there are seven areas with rates at 400 or higher in Wakefield, four in Calderdale, three in Bradford (all around Keighley) and just one in Kirklees.

Bradford has the second lowest infection rate in West Yorkshire, behind only Kirklees – but none of the areas have a rate to be proud of as they are all well above the national average.

The UK’s overall infection rate stands at 181.1, in England it is lower at 172.8, while in Yorkshire and Humber it is higher at 215.6, the third highest rate behind the North East and North West.