Concern is growing about the Indian variant of Covid-19, with cases in parts of the north west surging.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is 'worried' about the variant amid reports that it is becoming more prominent in the UK and can spread faster than the Kent variant.
Scientists say that in England, in the two weeks to May 1, the proportion of Indian variant cases went from 1% to 11% of Covid-19 infections - with other variants less than one per cent.
There are concerns about rising cases of the variant in parts of the north west - including Bolton and Blackburn, where new measures and surge testing are taking place to try and stem the flow of new infections.
And yesterday it was confirmed that cases of the Indian variant had been confirmed as part of a coronaviurus outbreak at Runshaw College in Leyland - where a number of Merseyside students attend.
More than 30 people are understood to have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past week, prompting the college to close to pupils and move to online learning until May 17.
Speaking on Times Radio, Mr Hancock said: "We are worried about the Indian variant.
"You will have seen the very stringent measures that we have taken at the border.
“We have got enhanced tracking and tracing of all of those Indian variants that we see."
"The evidence is that it is much easier to transmit than the original strain and easier to transmit even than the so-called Kent variant which is now the predominant type in the UK.
“It just shows that we have got to be vigilant.”
But he added that there is not currently any evidence that the current vaccines will not work well against the Indian variant - in the same way it works effectively against the Kent variant.
He later told BBC Breakfast that the Indian variant is the biggest Covid-19 risk currently facing the UK.
But the Health Secretary said the country is in a much better position to deal with the situation now - because of how well the vaccination programme has gone.
Public Health England has reclassified the Indian mutation as a “variant of concern”.
Scientists say B.1.617.2 appears to be spreading more quickly than two other identified subtypes of the Indian variant.
