FRINTON and Walton have been revealed as England’s hardest hit neighbourhood from Covid… with almost one in a hundred people dying from the virus.

The Office for National Statistics said Walton and Frinton Coastal area, which has a population of about 7,000 people, has recorded 70 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic started.

The area has a large elderly population, which is more susceptible to the virus – and a number of the area’s care homes were hit by multiple deaths.

Brenalwood care home, in Walton, saw ten of its residents die after contracting Covid-19.

Read House, in Frinton, suffered eight deaths, Delamer care home and Blenheim care home both recorded seven deaths, while Anchor Lodge retirement home recorded four and Lodge care home had three.

Last year Blenheim House, in Kirby Road, Walton, was put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission after “a few residents died” as a result of it being “ill-prepared” to deal with the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

The facility, which cares for people with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments, was found to have a number of failings.

A spokesman for Regal Care said it had been a “difficult time for the home” but that improvements had been made since the time of the previous inspection.

Gazette:

Concerns - Frinton councillor Nick Turner said residents are still wary about Covid

Frinton councillor Nick Turner said more than half of the deaths in Frinton and Walton had been in care homes.

He said: “It’s appalling that our area is the worst-hit for Covid deaths, but it does reflect the demographic make-up of our area and the elderly population we have, which was more susceptible to Covid.

“I think it was all mainly down to people dying in care homes – and it hit those with underlying conditions, including obesity, very hard.

“There were also concerns about people being sent back to care homes from hospital while they were sick.

"And there were some care home staff that were working across a number of care homes in Clacton, which risked spreading the disease, but I understand better procedures with the cleaning of uniforms have been put in place now.

“People in the towns are still wary of Covid and are not keen on travelling – Frinton Summer Theatre is down on numbers this year, as was the usually well attended Frinton Cricket Week.”

Walton and Frinton Coastal was reported by the ONS as the worst-hit area in the UK with 0.95 per cent of residents dying from Covid.

It was followed by Crabtree and Fir Vale in Sheffield with 0.79 per cent, Hesketh Park, in Sefton, with (0.76 per cent and Kingsley Park in Northampton with 0.76 per cent.