Another 84 deaths have been linked to flu, bringing the total to 338 since September. Doctors said the latest deaths have not occurred in the past week but have only just been reported due to the time taken to verify that they were linked to flu.

Of the 306 cases with information on age, 10 were under five, 14 were aged five to 14, 217 were aged 15 to 64, and 65 were 65 or over.

Around three-quarters of people who died were in an at-risk group, meaning they had an underlying health condition such as heart disease or diabetes, or were aged 65 or over.

A similar proportion had not had the seasonal flu jab.

Influenza B has overtaken the H1N1 swine flu strain as the most predominant strain.

Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: “Our latest flu report suggests levels of flu are continuing to decline across the UK and we appear to be over the peak of activity.

“However, flu is still circulating and it is important that people remember to practise good cough and hand hygiene, such as covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze, and then disposing of these as soon as possible to stop it spreading in the community.”