HARTPURY College and University, near Gloucester, has confirmed 50 cases of coronavirus today.

This is a rise of 17 since last week, when 33 cases were confirmed at the site.

A spokesperson said: “We currently have 50 live cases in students studying at Hartpury University and Hartpury College, some of whom live onsite in Hartpury accommodation and others who live off site.

"All are being supported by our dedicated support teams as they self-isolate with their households.

“Whilst the number of cases remains relatively low in the context of our student/staff community of nearly 4,800 individuals, we are continuing to work very closely with Public Health England and the Gloucestershire County Council COVID-19 Hub to ensure we are taking all necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection.

“The safety and well-being of our staff and students remains our top priority. We put in place a series of robust measures before welcoming our students back for the new term including: mask zones, hand sanitisation stations, and adherence to the ‘rule of 6’ when socialising.

"We have also introduced a combination of online and face-to-face lessons for smaller groups and increased the number of places to eat and study spaces on campus, to allow students to social distance.”

Hartpury University and Hartpury College specialises in the agriculture, animal, equine, sport and veterinary nursing sectors.