COVID cases have started to increase across Dorset following the dropping of restrictions.

Swanage has seen the biggest increase in cases with a 485 per cent rise in infections in the space of a week.

According to an interactive map on the government website, 20 cases were recorded in the seven days to March 4 giving a case rate of 206.1 per 100,000 people.

The following week, 117 cases were seen after 97 new infections were recorded with the case rate rising to 1,205.9.

Dorset Echo:

On the government map, the country is split up by Middle Super Output Areas (MSOA), which are small areas with an average population of 7,200, and the data is updated each weekday, with the map showing the last seven days for which complete data is available.

The map colour-codes areas depending on their seven-day rolling rate, with areas placed into the boundaries of 0-9, 10-49, 50-99, 100-199, 200-399, 400 to 799, 800 to 1,599 and 1,600 plus.

Dorset currently has no areas showing with case rates of 1,600 per 100,000 people.

Dozens of areas have case rates between 800 and 1599.

These are the areas with the highest case rates in Dorset in the seven days to March 11, which is the latest weekly data available.

Swanage – 117 cases, 485 per cent rise, case rate 1,205.9

Creekmoor – 99 cases, 135.7 per cent rise, case rate 1,089.3

Westham North and Radipole – 97 cases, 125.6 per cent rise, case rate 1,100.4

Gillingham – 93 cases, 244 per cent rise, case rate 1,219.2

Blandford Forum – 91 cases, 193.5 per cent rise, case rate 879.4

Preston and Lodmoor – 81 cases, 76.1 per cent rise, case rate 931.9

Throop & Muscliffe – 81 cases, 92.9 per cent rise, case rate 888.4

Penn Hill – 81 cases, 72.3 per cent rise, case rate 800.2

Queens Park – 80 cases, 66.7 per cent rise, case rate 925.0

Parkstone – 77 cases, 71.1 per cent rise, case rate 800.9

East Verwood – 76 cases, 216.7 per cent rise, case rate 1,013.6

Bovington, Wool and Lulworth – 76 cases, 204 per cent rise, case rate 863.8

Oakdale West – 75 cases, up 257.1 per cent, case rate 901.4

Wareham, Sandford and Holton Heath – 73 cases, 170.4 per cent rise, case rate 828.6

Burton and Airport – 72 cases, 80 per cent rise, case rate 1,191.5

Yetminster, Bradford Abbas and Longburton – 70 cases, 29.6 per cent rise, case rate 886.9

Chickerall & Chesil Bank – 67 cases, 109 per cent rise, case rate 806.1

Hamworthy West – 66 cases, 175 per cent rise, case rate 930.9

Branksome East – 65 cases, 182.6 per cent rise, case rate 1,039.2

Hamworthy East – 65 cases, 97 per cent rise, case rate 989.8

Broadway & Littlemoor – 61 cases, 79.4 per cent rise, case rate 805.9

Southwell and Weston – 60 cases, 50 per cent rise, case rate 819.9

Townsend and Strouden – 56 cases, 133.3 per cent rise, case rate 862.2

Bridport South and West Bay – 55 cases, 96.4 per cent rise, case rate 999.6

Bere Regis & Lytchett Matravers – 49 cases, 133.3 per cent rise, case rate 822.8

Bearwood – 47 cases, 135 per cent rise, case rate 852.4

Colehill – 47 cases, 113.6 per cent rise, case rate 806.6