Daily UK COVID-19 cases hit highest level since May

The figure is the highest daily total since 23 May, when there were 2959 cases of COVID-19.

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said he was 'concerned' and said that the positive tests were mainly among younger people, adding that this could lead to a rise across the population as a whole.

Hancock said: "It's so important that people don't allow this illness to infect grandparents and lead to the sort of problems we saw earlier in the year."

When asked about a second wave and the possibility of another lockdown, he replied: "We'll take whatever action is necessary."

The Health Secretary tweeted that the government is providing 250,000 clear face masks to NHS and care workers to help them communicate with people with certain conditions like hearing loss, autism & dementia. He said: "Innovation is vital in our mammoth national effort against coronavirus."

Overall, 347,152 cases have now been confirmed and the total number of deaths in the UK is 41,551.