London, Aug 29 (IANS) UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that a second nationwide lockdown cannot be ruled out if there was a resurgence in the number of coronavirus cases, it was reported on Saturday.

In a statement to The Times newspaper, Hancock said the possibility of a second wave was "a very serious threat" and that other countries were already seeing a spike in cases, metro.co.uk reported.

But the UK is managing to keep the number of new cases "flat" through the test and trace system and local lockdowns, he told The Times.

"Cases go up again, and we have to use very extensive local lockdowns or take further national action.

"We don't rule that out, but we don't want to see it," the Health Secretary added.

Hancock's remarks came as local lockdown restrictions are to be eased in parts of Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire, which will allow social gatherings from September 2 onwards.

The UK has so far reported a total of 333,798 coronavirus cases and 41,573 deaths.