South Gloucestershire recorded the most new Covid-19 cases it has ever seen in one day last week.

Public Health England reported 349 new cases on July 13, the most recent complete data, compared to 267 at the peak of the second wave.

Incomplete data estimate there were 475 new infections on July 15, almost 78 per cent more than the peak of the second wave.

Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which advises ministers, said he expects to see thousands of deaths.

He told Sky News on Monday: “We are heading into the biggest wave of Covid infection that we have ever seen and, even though the vaccine will substantially reduce the number of deaths and hospitalisations, it’s still likely that we will see somewhere in the low tens of thousands of deaths even if we are cautious.

“And that could move into the mid and high tens of thousands of deaths if we just went back to normal activity.

“So I think this remaining cautious is really a key thing in this unlocking of legal restrictions.”

The Government has removed almost all Covid-19 restrictions today (July 19), meaning face masks and social distancing are no longer mandated and nightclubs have opened for the first time in months.

Groups of more than six people from multiple households can meet indoors and legal limits on weddings will end.

Health Minister Sajid Javid will be isolating on Freedom Day, after testing positive for Covid-19.

On July 13, there was a new infection for every 179 people in South Gloucestershire as the Delta variant has become dominant across the country.