The Cheshire East Council leader has said that "additional measures will be required" to stem the increasing rate of coronavirus in the borough.

Cllr Sam Corcoran said the council will "explore" what restrictions can be put in place across the borough in lockstep with Cheshire West and Chester.

In a statement, Cllr Corcoran said: "We have a number of enforcement powers that we can use, and we will use them to their fullest potential where applicable to deal with the risk of infection.

"We will continue to work closely with Cheshire West and Chester Council, as well as our local MPs and the government to explore what additional restrictions will be appropriate for Cheshire East, and more widely for Cheshire as a whole."

He added: "We are now seeing evidence that additional measures will be required to slow the rate of infection."

The warning comes following a meeting of the council's "local outbreak board" today, in which council leaders and health chiefs discussed the current situation and how to respond.

The latest figures show the rate of infection in Cheshire East is at 51 cases per 100,000 people in the week 20-26 September. This equates to 196 cases, which is a jump of 89 on the previous week.

While the numbers are increasing, the rate of infection is still behind that of neighbouring boroughs such as Warrington, who had additional measures put in place last Tuesday. The rate of infection there is 178 cases per 100,000.

Cllr Corcoran said: "As a council we have responsibilities to protect the health of people who live and work in the borough. This responsibility has to be balanced with the need to support our residents and businesses to more normal ways of working and living life."

The decision on whether new restrictions, such as a ban on households mixing, lies with the secretary of state for health and social care, Matt Hancock.

Council deputy leader, Cllr Craig Browne said: "We have already written to the secretary of state for health to ask for additional powers over establishments that are not complying with the rules and resources to assist with contact tracing."

The council leader said he was "grateful" to the people of the borough for observing the rules on social distancing, which "has no doubt been part of the reason we have not seen even higher rates".

Cllrs Corcoran and Browne urged people to continue adhering to the guidance on hygiene and the national restrictions already in place to help slow the spread of the virus.