Covid-19 infections have rocketed in a small North Tyneside postcode following a string of "outbreaks" there.
In just over a week, Chirton's infection rate has more than trebled. It has left the area, near North Shields, on the cusp of becoming North Tyneside's biggest Covid-19 hotspot.
And cases in many of the surrounding areas are also rising fast. In Percy Main, Government data reveals infections have increased by 100 per cent during the past week.
New York and Preston Billy Mill also had a significant increase in cases.
A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said that Chirton's rising infection rate was linked to "outbreaks in a range of settings" but did not specify where.
It comes amid a warning from officials that North Tyneside's rate is "too high".
North Tyneside, along with Sunderland, are among the 11 English council areas where cases are currently rising, weeks into the third national lockdown.
And with the "highly transmissible" mutant strain - originally located in the UK - now the dominant strain in North Tyneside, there are fears infections could be levelling off.
"While the seven-day rate per 100,000 people for North Tyneside is similar to the regional and national rates, we’re concerned that our rate has stabilised at too high a level and is not falling," said Wendy Burke, the council's director of public health.
She added: "Like elsewhere in the country, we are also starting to see the effect of the UK variant which is now prevalent in a majority of our cases and is highly transmissible.
“I know how tough the ongoing restrictions are for many of our residents, but I must urge everyone to continue to show the resilience they have so far."
Until yesterday, Chirton's rate had increased by over 200 per cent over the previous seven days. However, up-to-date Government data indicates the spread has started to slow.
Infections have increased in Chirton by 125 in the past seven days, leaving it with an infection rate of 455.4 per 100,000 cases.
In North Tyneside, only Wallsend West currently has a higher infection rate (468.9). However, cases there are falling, with infections down by 8.3 per cent in the past week.
