The Government is to publish postcode-level data of how many people have tested positive for coronavirus.

The public will be able to use the data and an interactive map to look at figures for their area, although homes of individuals with coronavirus will not be identifiable from the data.

The figures, for England, will be published weekly at first with the aim of updating them daily.

Public health professionals across each region will also be given positive test data and contact tracing figures every day.

It comes as new NHS Test and Trace data for England shows that the proportion of people receiving their Covid-19 result within 24 hours of being tested at a regional site or mobile testing unit – a so-called 'in-person' test – has fallen week-on-week.

Some 87.7 per cent of people received the result within 24 hours in the week ending July 8, down slightly from 90.7 per cent in the week ending July 1.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month pledged to get the results of all in-person tests back within 24 hours by the end of June.

He told the House of Commons on June 3 he would get "all tests turned around within 24 hours by the end of June, except for difficulties with postal tests or insuperable problems like that".

Some 3.3 per cent of people who took a Covid-19 test using a home test kit in the week ending July 8 received their result within 24 hours – up slightly on the previous week (1.8 per cent).

Turnaround times for home tests can depend on when people send their kit back for analysis.

Since the launch of Test and Trace, 155,889 close contacts of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have been reached through the tracing system and asked to self-isolate.

This is 84.1 per cent out of a total of 185,401 people identified as close contacts.

The remaining 29,512 people (15.9 per cent) were identified as close contacts, but were not reached.

Executive chairwoman of NHS Test and Trace Dido Harding, said: "Each week there have been sustained improvements in NHS Test and Trace to reach more people and help stop those who may have been in contact with the virus unknowingly passing it on.

"We have made testing and tracing quicker and more accessible, and we remain committed to develop the service further over the coming months."

The Government has said a team based in Newcastle, including NHS clinical contact tracers, are working closely with behavioural scientists to find new ways to engage the public in Test and Trace.

Forcing people to comply with the system has been ruled out for now.