COVID-19: Seven of the areas in Tier 3 with the lowest rate of coronavirus infections

Towns and villages cross England are furious after learning they will face the toughest coronavirus Tier 3 restrictions once the national lockdown ends despite having a low rate of infections.

About 23.3 million people - 41.5% of the population - are going to be placed in Tier 3 from 2 December.

The government, which is facing a backlash over the new system, has said the tier decisions are based on a range of factors, including:

• Case detection rates in all age groups

• Case detection rates in the over-60s

• The rate at which cases are rising or falling

• Positivity rate (the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken)

• Pressure on the NHS

Here's a look at the seven areas which have among the lowest rate of infections in their counties - and in some cases lower than areas going into Tier 2 - but will be plunged into the highest bracket next week.

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Lancaster

The town faces the toughest COVID-19 measures because the whole of Lancashire is going to be placed into Tier 3.

The latest government data for Lancaster shows there have been 142 positive COVID-19 cases in the last seven days, and the rate of infection is 97.2 per 100,000 of the population.

Council leaders had asked for the county to be split into different tiers based on coronavirus rates, with areas such as Blackburn and Darwen, which has had 512 cases in the last week and has a rate of infection of 342 per 100,000, going into the top tier.

Politicians have reacted angrily to the decision to place Lancaster in the same bracket as those with higher infection rates.

Councillor Dr Erica Lewis, leader of Lancaster City Council, said: "This is not the tier we expected or wanted. We asked, again and again, that the government make an assessment on the Lancaster district's numbers and risk.

"It is deeply infuriating that the government has once again retreated to making sweeping assessments, rather than engaging with local expertise and conditions."

Stratford-upon-Avon

The whole of Warwickshire will go into Tier 3, including the medieval market town, which is home to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Data shows the area has recorded 137 positive cases in the last seven days, and has an infection rate of 105.3 per 100,000.

Councillor Tony Jefferson, leader of Stratford District Council, told the Stratford Herald the Tier 3 decision was a "surprise", adding: "Our expectation was that we would go into Tier 2 but we seem to have been grouped in with places like Coventry and Solihull."

In a joint statement, the RSC's executive director Catherine Mallyon and artistic director Gregory Doran said they were "deeply disappointed".

"We have worked hard over many weeks to put strong safety measures in place ready for that moment and we look forward optimistically to 2021 when we will reopen our theatres," they added.

Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi also tweeted his disappointment, adding: "The high numbers of infection (especially over 60) & hospitalisation in North Warwickshire, Solihull is the challenge. North & South Warwickshire need to work together to get the infection rates down and go into tier 2 in two weeks time."

Tunbridge Wells

Kent, England's sixth most populous county, has an area with the highest COVID-19 case rate in England.

Swale in north Kent overtook Hull on Monday to have England's highest rate, with 540 infections per 100,000 people for the week ending 20 November - an increase of 337 cases per 100,000 since 1 November.

In comparison, Tunbridge Wells has recorded 140 new cases in the last week, and has an infection rate of 117.9 per 100,000 - although this has almost doubled since 1 November.

However, Tunbridge Wells is one of the eight out of 119 areas going into Tier 3 where case rates are currently rising.

The area's MP, Greg Clark, is among several Tory MPs in Kent who lobbied Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to impose county-wide restrictions due to variations in case numbers.

Mr Clark said he was "very disappointed" with the decision.

Ashford

Similarly, Ashford in Kent has low numbers and has recorded 165 positive cases in the last seven days, and its rate of infection is 126.9 per 100,000.

Seven Conservative MPs from across the county wrote to Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier in the week in an attempt to get him to allocate the new three-tier system by district or borough.

However, the latest hospital data from Kent's main hospital trusts reports 367 COVID patients in beds in the county's seven main hospitals on 17 November - up from 40 a month before.

Former cabinet minister Damian Green, Tory MP for Ashford, said his constituents do not understand why, after successfully driving down infection rates in their area, they now face the toughest controls.

He told Times Radio: "The reward is we went into the lockdown in Tier 1, we come out in Tier 3, which has just made people think 'Well, what was the point of this lockdown?'"

South Holland

Latest government figures show the district has lower rates of infection than Liverpool (which is being moved down to Tier 2 next week), but is facing the highest level of restrictions when the whole of Lincolnshire moves into Tier 3.

South Holland has recorded 145 positive cases in the last week, and has a rate of COVID-19 infections of 152.6 per 100,000.

To give you an idea why locals are unhappy, Liverpool has a rate of 157.8 per 100,000, while neighbouring Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, is also being placed in Tier 2 with a rate of 208.1 per 100,000.

Council leader Lord Gary Porter said: "It's disappointing the government has placed South Holland into Tier 3 despite below average indicators and the fact that Peterborough has been placed in Tier 2 which borders our district. This shows a lack of nuanced thinking from the government."

Sevenoaks

This is another area of Kent, like Tunbridge Wells and Ashford, which is being placed into Tier 3 despite having a relatively low infection rate compared with other parts of the county.

The latest data shows 193 positive cases were recorded in Sevenoaks in the last seven days, and it has a rate of infection of 159.8 per 100,000.

London has been placed in Tier 2 but has a higher rate than Sevenoaks, with 177.1 cases per 100,000 people (in the week to 22 November).

MP Laura Trott said she was "initially surprised and disappointed" by Sevenoaks being placed into Tier 3, but after speaking to local hospitals and health ministers "the need for the heightened restrictions has become clear".

She said there are "some areas which are struggling more than others which is a real concern".

The MP listed these as West Kingsdown (351.4 per 100,000); Swanley West (330.9 per 100,000); Swanley East and Hextable (292.0 per 100,000) and Swanley South and Crockenhill (273.7 per 100,000).

"While these figures are important, it was ultimately the capacity pressure in our hospitals which convinced me of the need for the tougher tier 3 status," she said, adding: "Pembury is currently at 90% capacity and Darent Valley is full."

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Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales MP Sarah Dines said she was "not surprised" to learn that her constituency was going into Tier 3 along with the whole of Derbyshire.

There have been 118 positive COVID-19 cases recorded in the Derbyshire Dales in the last seven days.

It has a rate of infections of 163.2 per 100,000 - which is lower than England's average rate of 243 cases per 100,000.

Lillian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South, tweeted an image of a document detailing some reasons why large parts of the East Midlands were going into the highest bracket.

In the case of Derbyshire, there are concerns of high infection rates, and in particularly for those over 60 it is 220 per 100,000 people, according to the document.

In addition, the pressure on the local NHS "remains high", it said.