Northumberland has one of the highest uptake rates of the coronavirus vaccine in the country – though figures suggest around one in 12 adults remain unvaccinated.

Data from NHS England shows 252,574 people aged 18 and over in Northumberland had received a first dose of the vaccine by June 5 – at least 91.8% of those in the area, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service.

Dr Simon Williams, of Swansea University, has been running a study into the public's attitude towards vaccines, and said ethnicity and deprivation are the two biggest factors which can help explain the inequalities in vaccine coverage.

He added: "Vaccines are the tools to continue to reduce the harm that Covid inflicts on people, including death and hospitalisations, but also reducing future rates of long Covid which currently affects 1.2 million people and the long terms impacts we still don't fully understand.

"We also need to better engage with some communities to understand what economic, social and cultural factors might be explaining why uptake is so low."