MORE than 900 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across Dorset.

The number of cases in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole increased by 693 in the last 24 hours, official figures show.

Public Health England figures show that 17,283 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Friday in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, up from 16,590 the same time on Thursday.

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in the Dorset Council area increased by 239.

Figures show that 7,503 people had been confirmed as testing positive in Dorset, up from 7,264 the same time on Thursday.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 55,761 over the period, to 3,316,019.

Dorset's cases were among the 159,958 recorded across the South West, a figure which rose by 2,836 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.