A west London borough has the unwanted tag of having one of the highest rates of sexual transmitted infections (STIs) in England, new figures reveal.

Thousands of new cases are diagnosed in Kensington and Chelsea each year, according to the latest data from Public Health England.

All of the top 10 STI hotspots were in London, with Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham also making it onto the list.

In comparison, Harrow had the lowest rate of new STIs seen in the west London region, and was the only borough in the area to come in below the national average.

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The findings show a total of 3,574 new cases of STIs were discovered by doctors in the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea in 2016.

That is down from 3,984 the year before, but still one the highest levels seen on record.

It works out as one new STI for every 44 people living in the area - the fourth highest rate out of anywhere in the country, and more than three times as high as the national average.

Top 10 England STI hotspots

Local authority New STI cases in 2016 Rate (one per X residents)
Lambeth 9,918 33
Southwark 8,117 38
Hackney 6,792 40
Kensington and Chelsea 3,574 44
Islington 4,567 50
Lewisham 5,819 51
Westminster 4,604 53
Hammersmith and Fulham 3,354 53
Tower Hamlets 5,518 54
Wandsworth 5,595 56
England

410,715

 133

Westminster saw 4,604 STIs diagnosed last year, while Hammersmith and Fulham saw 3,354 new cases - one for every 53 people living in both areas.

But in Harrow, there were only 1,641 cases diagnosed by doctors in 2016 - one for every 151 people living there.

Across England, there were 410,715 new STIs diagnosed last year, or one for every 133 people living throughout the country.

The chlamydia trachomatis bacteria

Nationally, the number of STIs being diagnosed has been declining steadily over the last few years, and they are now at their lowest level on record.

The borough with the most new cases of STIs in the country is Lambeth, which saw 9,918 cases in 2016, at a rate of one for every 33 people.

West London STI figures

Local authority New STI cases in 2016 Rate (one per X residents)
Kensington and Chelsea 3,574 44
Hammersmith and Fulham 3,354 53
Westminster 4,604 53
Brent 4,559 71
Ealing 3,710 92
Hounslow 2,166 124
Hillingdon 2,293 130
Harrow 1,641 151

Chlamydia is by far the widest-spread STI in England, with nearly 200,000 new cases diagnosed across the country in 2016.

Meanwhile, there were around 61,700 cases of genital warts, 35,500 cases of gonorrhoea , 31,300 cases of herpes and 5,800 cases of syphilis diagnosed over the course of the year.

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