BREAKING: Rugby escapes being escalated to Tier 4 on Boxing Day

Rugby and the rest of Warwickshire has escaped being plunged into Tier 4 restrictions from Boxing Day.

Warwickshire was not mentioned as health secretary Matt Hancock read out the list of areas to be escalated to the new, tougher restrictions.

Rugby borough, which is linked to the rest of Warwickshire in the tier system, has seen a rapid rise in cases in recent weeks.

As of December 23 the borough has a case rate of 344 per 100,000 people - 300.2 cases per 100,000 people yesterday.

This means the borough has the highest case rate in Warwickshire and one of the highest growths in cases in the entire country.

Given the figures, the borough's avoidance of Tier 4 restrictions comes as a great surprise - with experts and national news outlets listing Warwickshire as one of the most likely candidates for Tier 4.