Shepton Mallet is thankfully yet to see a death relating to coronavirus, according to the latest figures released today (May 1).

The figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show, for the first time, deaths at a local level for people who have contracted Covid-19.

However, despite Shepton Mallet not seeing a coronavirus-related death yet, the statistics show that one person has died in the villages east of Shepton, such as Evercreech, Doulting or Cranmore, and one person has died in the villages north of Shepton, such as Oakhill, Gurney Slade or Binegar.

Deaths are reported by postcode area, which is why exact places are not revealed for the villages, though the ONS also said that the information with small numbers in rural areas has been kept vague for confidentiality reasons.

The statistics listed are for deaths where Covid-19 was the underlying cause or was mentioned on the death certificate as a contributory factor, between March 1 and April 17.