A building site has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus, as construction workers claim the government is waiting for them to die .
Several people at the India Buildings development in Liverpool, which 550 builders are currently refurbishing as a government tax headquarters, have been struck down with the virus.
This comes as labourers have slammed ministers for failing to close non-essential sites during the lockdown, despite the mounting death toll.
Many have warned that Covid is running rampant , with little protection for staff and have questioned why sites are considered essential places of work.
One London council has now launched a testing programme for construction workers in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Concern is mounting over a lack of social distancing on morning Jubilee line services, particularly around Canning Town and West Ham, as key workers continue to travel during the lockdown in London.
Issue to top agenda at Build UK meeting this morning
The issue of construction workers packing onto Tube trains to get to sites in London will be top of the agenda at a Build UK meeting later this morning – with images of overcrowding on the network continuing to surface on social media.
The industry has been told to cut the amount of workers using the underground or risk the government shutting down sites in the capital.
Contractors have promised to stagger start times and increase the amount of car parking space at sites to relieve congestion on the network.
Congested stations include Vauxhall in south London as well as stations in the east especially Stratford, West Ham and Canning Town.
A London council wants construction workers to take part in its rapid COVID-19 test programme.
Southwark Council has become one of the first local authorities to specifically name builders among those it is asking to take lateral flow tests in a bid to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Its website asks construction workers as well as teachers, supermarket workers, cleaners and security guards among others, to come forward to take tests. The tests are intended for people who do not have symptoms of coronavirus, and give a result within 30 minutes.
Tests are available from 9am-7pm, seven days a week, at the Damilola Taylor Youth Centre in Peckham, and appointments can be booked online.