The leader of Hull City Council has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to plead for additional support amid rising COVID-19 cases.

Hull has the highest levels of coronavirus in the country at 770 per 100,000, with the figure continuing to increase.

In his letter to Mr Johnson, Cllr Stephen Brady asked for extra powers and support as ‘infection rates in our city have increased at a frankly astonishing and terrifying rate’.

Cllr Brady also requested discussions about what will happen when the national lockdown ends, adding that the council has had no contact from Whitehall.

He wrote: ‘As a city pretty much forgotten by national government for many years, I am asking you to recognise our significance and to stand beside us as we fight to overcome the terrible impacts of this virus that is now ravaging our communities more than anywhere else in our country.’

Cllr Brady said: ‘Government has directly supported other areas which have had particularly high rates and – before the national lockdown – entered tier three restrictions.

‘We are not asking for special treatment.

'We are asking for the absolute minimum we need to get through this pandemic.'