A BURNLEY manufacturer has switched to producing masks in anticipation of the national requirement to wear face coverings from July 24.

Lancashire Textiles, based on Howsin Street, has been in business since 2001 manufacturing duvets, pillows and mattresses.

However, the coronavirus crisis has promoted an unprecedented demand for face coverings, which the company has been in an excellent position to produce.

Sales manager Steve Aspey said: “Some of our production has been switched to face masks and wipe-clean only products, which we also supplied during the Ebola outbreak to help bolster levels of production.

“This is something we can do due to the flexible nature of our manufacturing and the expertise of our workforce.”

The masks are of a higher quality and come in more colourful designs than standard medical masks.

Thanks to the level of public demand the company has avoided redundancies and become one of the few in the UK to have taken on extra staff.