A recent surge in Coronavirus in Rutland is again due to the prison at Stocken.

Rutland MP Alicia Kearns this afternoon issued a statement saying the prison is responsible for 60 per cent of the county's cases.

The MP noted how COVID-19 cases in Rutland have increased to 248 cases per 100,000 for the week to February 20, up from 130.2 per 100,000 in the previous week.

In a county with a population below 40,000, an increase in the COVID-19 case numbers can have a big effect on case numbers per 100,000.

The MP said: "I wanted to update residents of Rutland on our COVID-19 rates which I know continue to worry our community.

"Rutland continues to have a low rate of cases of COVID-19 within the community. The outbreak at HMP Stocken accounts for around 60% of all cases in the county - leaving cases within our community comfortably below the national average.

"HMP Stocken has rightly continued their programme of mass testing, resulting in increased cases being identified within the prison. Once again, their staff are working enormously hard to keep these cases within the prison, and there remain no signs of spread to the community. This is testament to how effective they are.

"I want to reassure everyone that their efforts in staying at home, as well as receiving the vaccine, are working.

"Indeed we have the highest uptake of vaccines in over 70s in the country, and over a quarter of Rutland's population has now been vaccinated."

Mrs Kearns added: "My thoughts and thanks are with the prison staff who are doing everything they can to continue to keep us safe."