Here is the graph which shows how close Luton is to Tier Three lockdown status

Health chiefs have shared data showing how close Bedfordshire was to being placed in Tier Three lockdown restrictions last week.

The Government announced on Thursday (November 27) what tiered restrictions each county in England will be under when the national lockdown is lifted on December 2.

Luton and Bedfordshire were placed in Tier Two, meaning that the 'Rule of Six' applies outdoors, residents should not mix indoors, and a "substantial meal" must be eaten with drinks at a pub.

Now, a new data set has shown how Bedfordshire compares to other counties in England and indicates how close its residents are to entering the highest restrictions under Tier Three.

The scatter graph, which was shared at a Covid-19 press conference by Public Health England, shows the county is towards the upper range of areas that were designated Tier Two.

While it is not the only system that was used to decide tiers, the data breaks down on average where some counties in different tiers rank next to one another based on the severity of their infection rate.

In layman terms, the further to the top right a county places, the more likely they are to be placed in Tier Three.

The graph compares each county's weekly cases per 100,000 population on November 12 and November 19 to gauge how severely the infection rate has grown or shrunk.

County tiers will be reviewed every 14 days.