Over a quarter of Wirral has no coronavirus cases, even though a major spike in the virus has been reported in a nearby area.

Of Wirral's 22 council wards, six recorded no COVID-19 cases in the week up to May 9.

The six wards were New Brighton, Seacombe, Bidston and St James, Oxton, Bebington, and Hoylake and Meols.

The other 16 Wirral wards all recorded between one and four cases.

Numbers for the borough as a whole, which cover the week up to May 10, also suggest that the virus is being kept under control in Wirral.

In the week up to May 10, there were 35 cases of the virus in the borough at a rate of 11 per 100,000.

That is a rise of three cases from the previous week's figures, but still means the borough has a very low infection rate which is remaining stable.

Indeed, Wirral's rate of 11 per 100,000 is the lowest in the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool's rate of 14 per 100,000 the next lowest.

These positive figures are a sharp contrast to the worrying picture in nearby Sefton.

In some parts of the Sefton town of Formby, the number of cases has risen by five times in just a week and the outbreak has led to the closure of a pub and a leisure centre with several school classes sent home to isolate.

Sefton – and specifically Formby – is one of several areas experiencing rising case numbers because of the rapidly spreading Indian variant – thought to be more transmissible than other strains.

The government is now issuing extra vaccines to the affected areas to try and stem the flow of infections there.

On Friday morning, Sefton Council launched a surge testing operation in Formby after confirming the presence of the Indian variant.