Kier confirms Covid cases on new council HQ site in Durham

Kier Property Developments confirmed a number of onsite and office-based workers at the Sands site, opposite Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre in Durham City, are at home with the virus or self-isolating because they have been in contact with them.

A spokeswoman for Kier said five people had tested positive for the virus and Track and Trace procedures had been used to identify those people who may have been in direct contact with them.

She added: "As a result a total of eight people, including those five with positive test results, have been asked to self isolate to try to prevent further potential spread.

"I understand they have around a week left of self isolating.

"A deep clean of the site's offices and equipment has been done and we notified Public Health England.

"We have been able to temporarily replace those workers onsite with resources from other sites where they had recently finished and have not had to stop work."

She said Kier continues to support Site Operating Procedures, developed by the construction industry with the advice of the Government and Public Health England, to keep people safe on its sites.

Work started on the city centre development, which will be about a third of the size of the offices it will replace at Aykley Heads, last August.

A number of people objected to the move, with concerns including parking and flood risk.