Northamptonshire residents continue to stay home...but are making more trips to supermarkets and pharmacies, according to new research by Google

Northamptonshire residents have continued to adhere to government guidelines under lockdown, Google data shows – but are now making more visits to supermarkets and pharmacies.

The latest weekly Google report shows a second successive rise in shopping visits across the UK, after First Secretary Dominic Raab warned any change to social distancing rules would risk a second peak of the coronavirus.

The tech giant uses location data from phones and other personal devices to track trends in people's movement in the home, retail and recreation establishments, grocery stores and pharmacies, public transport hubs, and parks and green spaces.

The third of its reports, which charts the six weeks up to April 11, shows retail in Northamptonshire has seen the biggest drop-off in activity across the five non-residential categories – 80% below normal levels. However, this is a slightly smaller drop than the UK average, with footfall down 81%.

But when it comes to grocery stores and pharmacies, footfall in Northamptonshire has now only fallen by 29%. That was the second consecutive increase in the use of grocery stores and pharmacies in the area – the previous week it stood at 37% below usual levels, following an initial drop of 42%.

All three reports are compared against a five-week period between January 3 and February 6, to establish a normal baseline.

Dominic Raab, continuing to stand in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said the UK has not reduced the rate of infection of Covid-19 enough to allow strict measures to be lifted.

He said: "The very clear advice we have received is that any change to our social distancing measures now would risk a significant increase in the spread of the virus.

"That would threaten a second peak of the virus, and substantially increase the number of deaths. It would undo the progress made to date, and as a result, would require an even longer period of the more restrictive social distancing measures."

Mr Raab said there was "light at the end of the tunnel" but right now we are at a "delicate and dangerous stage of this pandemic" and urged UK citizens to be patient a while longer.

Northamptonshire has also seen a 42% drop in footfall in parks and green spaces, but with people allowed out to exercise once a day, the Communities Secretary urged local authorities not to close any more parks.

Speaking at a daily press conference from Number 10, Robert Jenrick said: "While the virus does not discriminate, we know that the lockdown is much harder for people who don’t have a lot of living space, who don’t have a garden, and who don’t have anywhere for their children to run around. "That’s why I have made it clear to councils that all parks must remain open.

"For the health of the nation, people should be able to safely enjoy fresh air and green space."

The full results for Northamptonshire are:

Trips to retail and recreation establishments had been 81% below normal, but have since increased very slightly to 80%

Footfall in grocery stores and pharmacies had been 37% below normal, but have since increased to 29%

Workplaces had seen a 46% drop, and have since further decreased to 52%

Visits to parks and green spaces had been 37% below average, and are now 42% below.

Visits to public transport stations had been 67% below average, and have remained the same.