SEVERAL areas have recorded some of the highest Covid infection rates in our region as one area sees cases more than twice the average. 

An interactive map, which breaks down the number of Covid-19 cases per neighbourhood, is updated each weekday.

It reveals where Covid cases are going up and down across the UK, while showing how many confirmed cases there are per 100,000 people in each area.

SEE MORE: The 46 areas in the North-East with the lowest Covid-19 infections

Latest data published on February 23, shows what the picture was like in the region in the week leading to February 18, compared to the week before.

The map breaks down the case rate with different shades; dark purple indicates case numbers above 800, purple indicates 400 and 799, blues indicate 100 to 399, greens indicate 10 to 99 and yellow 0 to 9.

Some areas are coloured white and described as "suppressed", meaning case rates are suppressed and there have been zero to two cases in a seven-day period.

But twenty postcode areas across County Durham, Darlington and Teesside have recorded infection rates of above 300 cases per 100,000 people. 

It makes those areas among the places in the region where infection rates are among the highest - above the area's average, around 179 cases per 100,000 people.

Areas including Park East in Darlington and Park End in Middlesbrough have seen the highest rates of infection with 452.2 cases per 100,000 and 442.3 cases per 100,000 respectively.

Meanwhile parts of County Durham including Wingate and Castle Eden and Peterlee East have seen rates soar above the average with case rates at 435.2 per 100,000 people and 422.2 respectively.

These are the areas with the highest infection rates

These figures are from the week leading to February 18, compared with the week leading to February 11

Darlington Park East

452.2 cases per 100,000 people

29 new cases

Middlesbrough Park End

442.3 cases per 100,000 people

27 new cases

Middlesbrough Central

437.7 cases per 100,000 people

58 new cases 

Wingate & Castle Eden

435.2 cases per 100,000 people

32 new cases 

Peterlee East

422.2 cases per 100,000 people

36 new cases 

Middlesbrough Berwick Hills

418.6 cases per 100,000 people

31 new cases 

Peterlee South

391.1 cases per 100,000 people

25 new cases

Shotton & Haswell

379.2 cases per 100,000 people

26 new cases 

Thornaby North

349.5 cases per 100,000 people

25 new cases 

South Bank & Teesville

343.1 cases per 100,000 people

35 new cases 

Middlesbrough Ayresome

320.8 cases per 100,000 people

31 new cases 

Grangetown

317.1 cases per 100,000 people

21 new cases 

Beechwood & James Cook

316.6 cases per 100,000 people

18 new cases 

Middlesbrough Kader

315.8 cases per 100,000 people

16 new cases  

Easington & Hawthorn

313.9 cases per 100,000 people

18 new cases 

Newport & Maze Park

311.9 cases per 100,000 people

21 new cases 

Middlesbrough Park Vale

305.6 cases per 100,000 people

17 new cases 

Hartlepool Rossmere & Mill

304.9 cases per 100,000 people

21 new cases 

Coulby Newham

304.9 cases per 100,000 people

26 new cases 

Thornaby Village

302.6 cases per 100,000 people

18 new cases 

'Let's not blow it now'

Earlier this week, council leaders in the north of the region warned residents to continue following the rules as third national lockdown rules start to be lifted.

Council leaders representing County Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Northumberland, made the comments in a joint statement.

SEE MORE: The 46 areas in the North-East with the lowest Covid-19 infections

They said: "What today's announcement doesn't change for now is the need to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons, including staying local when exercising, maintaining social distancing at all times, wearing face coverings and continuing to regularly wash our hands.

"We urge everyone to take up the vaccine when offered and to those in the priority groups who may still not have had their first dose to come forward.

"There is growing evidence that the vaccines are highly effective in protecting our communities from Covid-19, having a significant impact on the risk of serious illness and reducing the risk of infection, giving us great reason to be optimistic."

They later added: "Let's not blow it now. Thank you for everything you are doing to beat Covid."