CASES of Covid-19 in Oxford are now the highest in the South East and firmly in the top 10 in the entire country.

Additional testing facilities for people aged 18-29 in the city will be available after cases jumped from 296 to 946 last week, with 80 per cent falling in this age group.

According to the latest Public Health England figures, Oxford City's cases are now in the top 10 in England and the highest in the South East with a rate of 620.5 cases per 100,000 people – this compares to a rate of 56.4 per 100,000 in the city as recently as June 4.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council's director for public health, warned that the overall rise in cases over the last month has been 'exceptionally steep' and added: "Cases in Oxford in the last seven days have risen over three-fold and this comes on top of large rises in recent weeks.

"Oxford is now a Covid-19 hotspot for the whole of England and we have seen nothing like this since the big spike in cases at Christmas.

"We must do all we can to get on top of this situation together working with central Government, which is very much aware of the rise we are experiencing."

More than a thousand young people took part in PCR testing at temporary facilities over the weekend.

Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council are now urging for more people aged 18-29 to take part with three walk-in mobile testing units open for business from Tuesday until Sunday, 10am - 8pm.

They will be held in South Park, St Clement’s end; the Blavatnik School of Government, Walton Street; and Manzil Way Gardens, Cowley Road.

The testing centres at Oxford Brookes University and Osney Lane are also open every day 8am - 8pm, including for those without symptoms, but people need to book an appointment on the Government website.

Mr Azhar praised people who had already attended the testing facilities and added: "Thank you to all those who took part in testing at the weekend – this was a fantastic effort – but please help us spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues of the same age to come along and do the same.

"If you are aged 18-29 living in Oxford, please get a test to keep safe while you are waiting to get full protection from your vaccinations and play your part in stopping the spread of the virus.

"Cases around the county are at lower levels but they too are rising.

"Rates in the over 60s are still comparatively low but they have risen four-fold over the last week."