Chesterfield business apologises after staying open into coronavirus lockdown

Perrys Ford says it took a ‘quick decision to close nearly everything’ last Tuesday after many staff came in as normal despite the Government’s announcement of the lockdown on Monday evening.

One member of staff contacted the Derbyshire Times to say they were ‘shocked’ to see it was ‘business as usual’ at the Spire Walk site.

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The staff member, who asked not to be named, said: “There were service customers coming and going, and staff expected to take their keys off them, climb in their cars to move them and work on them.

“There was a meeting in the workshop where mechanics gathered in large numbers as they were told that it was business as usual.

“There are five members of staff in the reception working very close together. And as many as eight customers roaming around the showroom waiting for their car to be serviced climbing in and out of cars on display.

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“This frightens me and my colleagues as the number of fatalities are growing every day.”

A spokesperson for Perrys said there had initially been uncertainty about who should go to work after the lockdown had been announced by the prime minister.

She said: “Travel to and from work seemed to be allowed if you couldn’t do it from home. As a result, many of us came in.

“However, we made a quick decision to close nearly everything. We’re sorry if we didn’t act quickly enough. We advised staff that they could benefit from the Government’s furlough scheme.

“Some of the business is operating to ensure key workers and those in the NHS can keep fighting to save lives.

“No dealerships are open to the public and we’re arranging essential servicing on a case-by-case basis with those who really need it.

“We have already repaired an ambulance at one of our sites.

“We have also donated hundreds of disposable seat covers to community nurses to help slow the spread of the virus. We’re also providing parts to emergency services garages to ensure their vehicles stay on the roads.”