Berkshire coronavirus: The area that could be moved to Tier Two lockdown

Windsor and Maidenhead could be plunged in to the second highest coronavirus risk level, meaning the area's 150,000 people could be banned from meeting friends and family indoors.

The affluent borough currently is grouped in the "medium" alert level alongside most of the country falling under current national restrictions.

Yet it could be regraded to the middle alert level of "high" within days if its current infection rate were to continue to rise and spiral out of control.

The most recent data shows Windsor and Maidenhead has an infection rate of 104.3 per 100,000 people with cases soaring from 95 to 158 in the seven days up to October 9.

The worrying trend has already led the borough's Tory leader Andrew Johnson to take aim at his own constituents who are "bending the rules" - with some parents taking their kids to school even if they have tested positive for the virus - and said "it is time" they "realise they are the problem".

"It is really important that residents in the borough take action as the number of Covid-19 cases are rising quickly," he said

“Over the last two weeks the number of weekly rolling average cases has more than tripled and if behaviour does not change we will need tighter restrictions to get numbers back under control.

“What is clear is a significant number of people are behaving responsibly and observing the rules - thank you - but a large number are not. We are aware of people not isolating even when they have symptoms and parents who send their children to school even after a positive test.

“The problem is being driven by people who should know better, people who think the rules don't apply to them, people who think the problem is everyone else and people who think their routine or needs are more important than everyone else's safety and livelihoods."