THE director of Publich Health for Worcestershire is urging residents not to "undo the good work on beating coronavirus" in the county by attending parties or large gatherings this weekend.

As positive cases of Covid-19 continue to rise in areas across the county, people are being warned not to become complacent ahead of stricter social distancing rules coming into effect on Monday.

Dr Kathryn Cobain said: “Now is not the time to be complacent. The cases of Covid are rising in Worcestershire and it’s up to each of us to help bring those cases back down.

"The new guidelines restricting the numbers of people we can have in our homes, are there to protect us all.

"I’d urge everyone not to rush to gather in large groups this weekend, ahead of the changes.

"You risk undoing all the good work the people of have Worcestershire have done so far in beating coronavirus.

"Follow the guidelines, break the lines of transmission, protect the progress we’ve made. ”

From Monday, September 14, the number of people that can attend social gatherings will be reduced to six across England.

In neighbouring Birmingham, people will be banned from mixing with other households from Tuesday following a surge in cases. The rate of infection has more than doubled in the city in a week to 90.3 cases per 100,000.

The measures also cover nearby Sandwell and Solihull, affecting more than 1.6 million people in total.