Baldock has seen more deaths linked to the coronavirus than anywhere else in North Hertfordshire, new figures reveal.

New data from the Office for National Statistics shows the number of deaths involving COVID-19 split by towns and villages within local authorities.

Between March and May, it has emerged that 20 people in the area of Baldock died with the virus – the most out of North Hertfordshire’s 15 areas.

In total, 33 deaths were recorded in North Hertfordshire in May – equivalent to 23.4 per 100,000 of the population.

This means North Hertfordshire’s death rate ranked 10th out of 45 lower-tier council areas in the East of England.

A government spokeswoman said: “The government is working to understand the key drivers of disparities in infection and death rates, and the relationships between the different risk factors.