Up to 30 places in the UK are at risk of "tough local lockdowns" as coronavirus cases continue to rise.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said other areas could follow Leicester in imposing local restrictions to prevent a second spike of Covid-19, MirrorOnline reports.

The Prime Minister told Sky News: "There are between 10 and 30 places where you are seeing it bubbling up a little bit. I think the country as a whole understands that the best way to deal with this is if we have tough local lockdowns to get it under control in those towns."

Mr Johnson warned it would be wrong to assume "somehow we're out of the woods."

"It is absolutely vital that as a country we continue to keep our focus and our discipline and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we're out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over," he added.

The stark warning comes after the PM claimed a second wave of the virus could hit within two weeks.

A Downing Street source told reporters: "The PM is extremely concerned by what he's seeing abroad and fears we could be seeing the same thing here in a fortnight. People have got to realise we are still in the middle of a pandemic.

"He wants to go further on opening things up and getting people back to work, but he knows it'll be his head on the block if things go wrong."

Shock data shows the number of new infections has increased sharply as fears of a second spike grow.

Oldham has one of the worst coronavirus infection rates in England

Oldham has one of the worst coronavirus infection rates in England (Image: Getty Images)

Scientists at Cambridge University have said it is "very likely" that most regions in England are close to the point at which the virus begins to spread exponentially.

The data from the Cambridge MRC Biostatistics Unit found that four out of seven English regions have seen a rise in infections in recent weeks.

The south-east and the south-west now have an R rate above 1, meaning the infection is spreading in these areas.

Figures from the Department of Health show the number of cases in areas such as Hyndburn, Hackney and Swindon have surged.

Hyndburn cases rose from six to 54 in the last two weeks, while Swindon saw a rise of 23 to 56.

In Birmingham the number of cases soared from 130 to 295, while in Blackburn and Darwen cases jumped from 107 to 242.

Top 10 places where cases have grown in the last two weeks:

Hyndburn: From 6 to 54 - growth rate of 9
Eden: From 4 to 33 - growth rate of 8.25
Sandwell: From 40 to 163 - growth rate of 4.08
Hackney: From 30 to 90 - growth rate of 3
Trafford: From 33 to 99 - growth rate of 3
Swindon: From 23 to 56 - growth rate of 2.43
Birmingham: From 130 to 295 - growth rate of 2.27
Blackburn with Darwen: From 107 to 242 - growth rate of 2.26
Barnet: From 23 to 49 - growth rate of 2.13
Walsall: From 28 to 58 - growth rate of 2.07