Frontline care staff received more than 400,000 items of personal protective equipment such as face masks and eye protection this week to help defend them from contracting the coronavirus.

Officers from the army, the county’s fire and rescue service, police and community volunteers distributed the PPE to 79 different care locations across Gloucestershire after the delivery came in on Tuesday night.

Gloucestershire County Council said there is currently enough PPE in the county and further supplies are expected in the coming days as nationally the volume increased significantly.

On the eight pallets were stocks of face masks, aprons, gloves and eye protection designated for social care and health workers across the county as continue to support the vulnerable.

Sarah Scott, chair of the local resilience forum strategic coordinating group and director of public health at the county council, said: “This significant drop of PPE will support our colleagues on the frontline to keep safe whilst they carry on delivering vital services to the most vulnerable in our communities.

“Our priority is making sure our colleagues have access to the PPE they need to do their jobs safely.

“We are working with our partners across Gloucestershire to make sure there is a constant supply coming in and it is being distributed to those who need it most, including the NHS, care homes and frontline staff.”

The delivery came via the national distribution hub following a request by the local resilience forum, which is made up of representatives from a range of organisation including the county and district councils, health, police and the ambulance service.