The rate of tuberculosis in Wiltshire rose last year, new figures show.

TB Alert, the UK's national charity for the disease which affects the lungs, said it is ‘worrying’ that the number of cases across England has risen.

It also said people who have TB, or have suffered lasting effects, may be at increased risk from coronavirus.

Public Health England figures show there were 1.9 cases of TB annually for every 100,000 people in Wiltshire between 2017 and 2019 – up from 1.7 between 2016 and 2018.

This means an increase in average annual cases from nine to 10 each year.

Across England, the rate rose slightly from 8.2 to 8.4 over this period – ending seven successive years of falling rates – while the number of cases increased by 2 per cent to 4,725.

The disease is curable using antibiotics but can be fatal if left untreated.

TB Alert said it is responsible for more deaths than any other infection worldwide, and called for PHE's national TB action plan for 2020/25 to be launched as soon as possible.