New strain of coronavirus has been detected in Kenilworth

Kenilworth is one of the 57 locations across the country where the new strain of coronavirus has been detected.

This information has been announced by the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium, which has been monitoring the spread.

Local authorities across the country have been told to assume that the new variant of the virus could now be in every area of the country and the list of 57 could soon expand as more data is released.

Scientists are keen to reassure people that the variant is not thought to be more harmful but it is believed to be 70 per cent more transmittable.

This has led to a spike of cases in London and the South East of England - and today (Wednesday) the Government is expected to announce that more areas will move into the new tier 4 restrictions after Christmas.

We will bring you more on this announcement as we get it.

Here is the list of the 57 places where the new strain of coronavirus has been detected:

A cluster of six in Glasgow and in the surrounding areas of Linwood, Newton Mearns, Airdrie, Bonhill and Lenzie.

Near Rothbury in rural Northumberland

Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in Gateshead, near Low Fell

Bishop Auckland in County Durham

Near Penrith in Cumbria

Middlesbrough

Hurst Green in Lancashire

Cleckheaton

Pocklington, near Hull

Two areas in the north of Merseyside, near Crosby and Kirkby

One area of central Manchester

Near Maltby in South Yorkshire

One area in Wrexham and one in Burton, Cheshire

Near Matlock in Staffordshire

Near Eakring in Nottinghamshire

Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire

Near Stafford in Staffordshire

In the Leicester area

Upper Hambleton, near Oakham

Dereham near Norwich

Stowmarket near Ipswich

Near Willingham in Cambridgeshire

Kettering

Kenilworth

Near the Oldbury area of Birmingham

Worcester

Hereford

Fishguard, Neath, Bridgend, Barry and Newport

Bristol

Near Bridgwater and near Exeter

Close to Dorchester on the south coast

Newbury near Thatcham

New Alresford, near Winchester

Near Billingshurst

Dorking

Near Hailsham

Near Canterbury

In central London

Near Oxford

Welwyn Garden City near St Albans

Near Braintree

Stagsden near Bedford