Where Covid cases are highest in UK as schools and festivals fuel infections

Thousands of revellers turned out for music festivals over the August bank holiday weekend, while pupils have started to return to classrooms in England.

Scotland has already seen a huge increase in infections this month, with the return of schools in mid-August thought to have contributed to the record high coronavirus rates.

Health experts are now warning a similar picture could unfold across the rest of the UK as the autumn term gets underway.

While there is an expectation that there will be an exponential rise in cases over the coming weeks, it is hoped that the mass vaccination rollout will prevent a rise in hospital admissions and deaths.

The government is intending to launch a Covid-19 booster programme from September, pending recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), with the NHS in England poised to start the campaign from Monday (6 September).

Plans are also in place to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather from the end of September, as part of efforts to keep infections down.

But where are infections highest right now? Listed are the 13 UK areas with the highest Covid-19 case rates, based on the latest data available up to 26 August. Images are for illustrative purposes only.