Coun Jason Zadrozny, leader of Ashfield District Council, has praised the community spirit as people offer to help during the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “Members, officers and Lee Anderson MP met and were all of the agreement that there is a need for business as usual across the district. There may be a need to prioritise the needy and vulnerable in our communities, and we are working together to ensure plans are in place.

“We ask residents to keep calm, and follow the advice and guidance issued by the Government. We have received hundreds of calls from residents asking how they can help; it is fantastic to see such community spirit. At this time we ask that you check on vulnerable or elderly neighbours and if you wish to volunteer watch out for national appeals on how you can best do that.

“This is a constantly changing situation and we will provide updates as often as we can. We ask that residents are patient with us at this time as we continue to deliver our core business, including empting your bins and delivering housing repairs.”