THERE were 13 more Covid-19 related deaths in Shropshire this week, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

According to the stats, released on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced further easing of lockdown measures to begin next month, eight people died across the county's two main hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford.

And there were five Covid-19 related deaths in care homes across the county, meaning one more person died from coronavirus than in the previous seven days.

While the excess number of deaths in the UK reached 65,000, it is being reported that the number of deaths across all age groups has dropped or stayed the same for the first time since the pandemic started in March.

A total of 1,114 death certificates mentioned coronavirus in the week ending on June 12, down 474 (30 per cent) on the 1,588 in the previous week, the Office for National Statistics said.