Councils in north-west London said there is “nothing to suggest” their boroughs could be put into a local lockdown.

Harrow Council and Brent Council both issued statements in response to reports that they could be among those forced to implement stricter lockdown measures to combat the spread of Covid-19.

It comes after the Government announced plans to close non-essential shops in Leicester and push back the further easing of restrictions that were set to take place on Saturday (July 4).

The majority of children will also be unable to attend school as the city tries to combat a recent spike in coronavirus cases.

A list of 35 places – including Brent and Harrow – were reported as being at risk of lockdown due to similar spikes.

But council officers have assured residents that, at present, this is not the case.

Carole Furlong, director of public health at Harrow Council, said: “There is nothing to suggest there is a spike in Harrow.

“We’ve had fewer than ten cases a week in June and, as lockdown eases, we ask everyone to do their bit to help stop the spread by staying two metres apart, wearing face coverings in confined spaces and washing their hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.”

She added that the council is in “regular contact” with the NHS and Public Health England and that it continues to “closely monitor” the local and national situation.

A similar message was put out by Brent Council’s Twitter account, which said there are “currently no plans for a local lockdown”.

It said that PHE data “does not suggest that cases are rising in the borough” but stressed it is important to continue to follow government guidance.

As of yesterday (June 30) Harrow and Brent have both had more than 1,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with Brent (1,510) the second highest in London behind Croydon.

And in terms of rate per 100,000 residents, Brent and Harrow occupy the top two spots in London, with 457 and 421 cases, respectively.

Earlier this week, Brent Council’s director of public health Dr Melanie Smith said she “couldn’t see how [it] would shut down a defined geographic area”.

She explained that, while it is possible to enforce the closure of businesses or parks, it would be difficult to put measures across a wider area.

A similar line was put forward by Greg Fell, board member at the Association of Directors of Public Health, who told a committee of MPs in June that they do not have the power to shut down local areas or whole cities.

He added that if a city needed to be placed in lockdown, as is the case in Leicester, “we may well be in national lockdown territory by that time”.