Leicestershire County Council has warned North West Leicestershire residents to treat the so-called Freedom Day with caution.

The council has highlighted the district - including Ashby and Coalville - as having one of the highest rates of coronavirus cases in the county.

Last week, North West Leicestershire was second only to Melton with a seven-day case rate of 533.7 per 100,000 of the population - compared to 398.6 across England.

The County Council's director of public health says a return to normality must come with great caution as a new drive is launched which urges residents to help stem rates.

Fresh artwork featuring the 'it's down to us' slogan is appearing on social media and across the authority's buildings reminding people to think about continuing to do the basics – such as 'popping on a mask when shopping' and 'to socially distance as much as you can'.

With infection rates across some parts of Leicestershire continuing to show a steep rise, Mike Sandys says: "With freedom comes responsibility. We do need to learn to live with Covid so, while I want people to enjoy the freedom, I'd urge them not to throw caution to the wind.

"The vaccine programme is doing a great job in keeping down hospital admissions compared to the last wave, but they are rising, and pressure will mount as more people are affected by the virus.

"I'd urge people to get their first and second dose of the vaccine as soon as they can as it could prove to be a life saver.

"It's now around everyone pulling together to put a lid on the virus and that will happen by sticking to the basics.

"At this stage, we're not looking at any particular links to the rising infection rates, they're going up all over the county so clearly that is a concern.

"It's further evidence that we're not in such a place where we can mix freely and there's still a need to exercise caution."

From today (Monday), people will no longer need to book a slot at County Council recycling and household waste sites and, as before the booking system was introduced, vans, pick-ups and cars with trailers must have a permit to visit a waste site.