COUNCIL and Health and Safety Executive inspectors have launched a series of pre-Christmas spot checks on businesses in a borough to ensure they are Covid-secure.

The move by Burnley Council is part of wider efforts to tackle the virus and its impact.

The teams are working alongside local public health authorities to support the understanding of patterns in confirmed coronavirus cases in the area.

They will carry out a number of spot checks on local businesses as part of a national scheme.

Initial contact will be made by phone, with a follow-up visit if necessary.

For those that fail to meet Covid-secure standards, consequences range from the provision of specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, stopping certain work practices until they are made safe and, where businesses fail to comply, prosecution.

Councillor Asif Raja, Burnley Council’s growth boss, said: “We need to ensure proper measures are in place everywhere which is why we’re working with the HSE to carry out these spot checks. Becoming COVID-secure needs to be the priority for all businesses.”