Britain has reported 12,872 new Covid-19 cases, a record daily figure for the country, with the government blaming the jump on a reporting delay and saying the numbers in coming days would include additional cases.

The government’s website said a technical issue had delayed publishing a number of new Covid-19 cases. “This means the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between September 24 and October 1, increasing the number of cases reported,” it said.

At 12,872, the number of daily cases reported almost doubled from the 6,968 reported on Friday, smashing the previous biggest daily toll of 7,143, which was recorded on Tuesday.