The rate of coronavirus infections in Dorset is amongst the lowest in the country, government figures show.

Data for June 15-21, the latest made available, gives both the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset council rates more than 100 times lower than those seen in Leicester.

It comes as BCP Council has approved its local outbreak management plan outlining how any localised outbreak in the area would be managed.

The infection rate in the area it covers in the week of June 15-21 was 1.3 per 100,000 people while in the Dorset Council area it was 1.1.

This is amongst the lowest of any local authority area in the country and far below the 140.2 recorded in Leicester where local lockdown measures have had to be introduced.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting of the health and wellbeing board, Public Health Dorset director Sam Crowe said an average of about one case per day was being recorded in the county.

This includes the results from testing carried out in hospitals and at home or through drive-through testing centres.

At the meeting members of the health and wellbeing board, which is headed-up by BCP Council leader Vikki Slade and includes emergency services and NHS representatives, the new local outbreak management plan for the area was considered.

Every local authority was required by the government to produce a plan by the end of June.

They detail testing and prevention measures in place while also identifying places deemed to be at greater outbreak from any outbreak.

Its introduction, written by Cllr Slade, says the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole document allows public sector bodies in the county to manage any future outbreak.

“This plan gives us the ability to work with our communities to manage future outbreaks of Covid-19, whether that be an outbreak which is located in a specific building or location, one that involves active transmission in a community, or is more widespread, potentially affecting residents across a wider area,” she wrote.

“We have the ability, through this plan, to manage any future outbreak to ensure the best possible protection for our communities.”

She said the “key” consideration made was how communication with residents and businesses would be managed should the rates of infection in the conurbation increase.

At Thursday’s meeting, the board also agreed to form a sub-group, made up of Cllr Slade, Mr Crowe, council chief executive Graham Farrant and a representative of Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group which could be called together should an outbreak occur.