Northampton death rate remained far higher than normal in May

Office for National Statistics figures show 233 deaths were recorded in Northampton during May.

That was 88 more than the number recorded in May 2019, a rise of 61%.

This meant the area saw the biggest increase among Northamptonshire's seven local authorities.

Northampton also saw a jump in fatalities in the previous month, with 174 more deaths recorded compared to April 2019 – an increase of 115%.

It means that in the year to the end of May there were 304 (38%) more deaths than at the same point last year.

Ministers and health experts leading the public response to the coronavirus crisis have consistently said excess mortality figures will be the most accurate measure of the overall impact.

This is because they capture deaths that may have been indirectly caused by the pandemic, such as by people not seeking or receiving medical attention for other conditions.

The figures also allow better international comparisons, because they are not affected by differences between the way countries count coronavirus-related deaths.

Across England and Wales, the death toll in May rose by more than 8,000 compared to last year, climbing from 44,290 in 2019 to 52,315 this year, an increase of 18%.

Between the start of January and the end of May, there were 290,157 deaths recorded across the two countries, an increase of 58,581 on the same point in 2019.

The ONS announced at the end of June that the number of deaths registered in England and Wales over the week ending June 19 had fallen below normal levels for the first time since before lockdown was imposed.