'Outstanding' volunteers at Age Concern Luton praised for protecting town's most vulnerable through coronavirus crisis

On Monday, the government issued new advice urging the public to avoid social contact and mass gatherings.

Colette McKeaveney, chief executive of Age Concern Luton, said: “Obviously, the government advice that came out on Monday was different to what was said before, so we have had to change our plans.

“It has been a struggle to get food for many of our elderly people.

“We’ve reluctantly had to cancel our weekly lunch club, but we do still have volunteers going out delivering food to people. Our team has been incredible and they have ensured we’re still able to carry out our operations as normally as possible.

“But this situation of empty supermarket shelves has really laid bare the reality for so many people in our society.

“If you have access to a car, it’s easy to drive out and find different places to shop. But that’s not the case for many of our vulnerable and elderly people who don’t have those facilities.

There are going to be pressures on us and the speed of change is what is very striking.”

Nationally, several reports have emerged of scammers stealing money after offering to carry out shopping for elderly residents.

Police in Camden, north-west London, say they have received reports of individuals offering to help the elderly but then running off with the money. West Midlands Police has also issued bulletins warning of fraudsters exploiting the situation.

Members of the public are urged to rely on trusted volunteers, such as friends, families, neighbours and registered charities when seeking assistance throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

Vauxhall has announced it will cease operations at its factories from tomorrow (Thursday) until March 27, in a move that has been welcome by Luton North MP Sarah Owen.

Ms Owen said: “Vauxhall has a proud 115-year history in Luton and I welcome any move that its management is taking in the interest of protecting their staff and wider public health during this ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

Elsewhere, the planned Police and Crime Commissioner election in May has been deferred until next year, and several airlines have cancelled flight routes at Luton Airport, including Wizz Air and easyJet.