B&Q has dismissed a video circulating on social media showing a packed cafeteria allegedly taken at its Swindon distribution centre.

A concerned Adver reader sent in the video seemingly showing staff not respecting the social distancing guidelines that have been put in place by the government.

They said: “No-one wearing a mask, not two metres apart. If any one of those people have Covid-19 that would spread throughout the whole of that distribution centre and spread to their families.”

B&Q and Wincanton, a logistics company that transports goods for the store, issued a joint statement which said: “This video clip does not reflect the current safety measures that are in place.

“As a designated essential retailer, B&Q is seeking to support our communities by providing essential products to ensure homes are kept safe, warm and in working order, while we also keep our colleagues as safe as possible.

“We are closely following government and Public Health England advice where we have two-man teams and are keeping driver teams together to minimise risk.

“On our sites, we are working flat out to ensure that site by site people have the right protective equipment, that social distancing is adhered to including by changing shift patterns, marking areas, limiting numbers in communal areas and that cleaning regimes are carried out at a far greater frequency.

“We believe that these measures together should provide a safe environment for all workers at this difficult time.”

B&Q is remaining open during the coronavirus pandemic but only to provide essential goods to the public.

Grahem Bell, CEO of the company said: “The Covid-19 crisis continues to evolve, so I wanted to update you on some changes here at B&Q.

“Over the last 48 hours we have been working hard to create a service that focuses on providing essential products for repair and maintenance of the home. This means we can keep supplies open and give our customers the best possible service to ensure their homes are safe, warm and in working order.

“We urge customers to follow all the government’s social distancing guidelines and to shop responsibly for essential needs only. The safety of our customers and colleagues remains our top priority.”

The DIY retailer has closed all of its stores to the public and is operating a click and collect policy or delivery.

It will now be operating via its online store.

Mr Bell added: “The range will be limited for our Click & Collect service to ensure we do everything we can to limit unnecessary purchases and ensure our customers and colleagues are protected from needless contact

“Customers can now use our contactless Click & Collect service from their local store, allowing items to be picked up from an allocated parking zone where product will be brought to their car.”