Cumbria's coronavirus response is set to benefit from £200,000 of Personal Protective Equipment donated by the nuclear industry.

Sellafield Limited have donated 20,000 gowns to Cumbria's Covid-19 relief effort.

The company and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have also pledged £200,000 to purchase PPE for Cumbria's NHS and social care staff.

An estimated 5,000 gowns will be ready by the end of the week and 2,500 will be donated every week for the next six weeks.

Gowns will be distributed among NHS facilities across Cumbria to fulfill a need identified by the Local Resilience Forum.

The donation is part of a targeted response by Sellafield Ltd, co-ordinated with local communities to ensure the areas of greatest need are identified and addressed.

Gowns are in short supply as global stock of PPE is feeling the demand of the pandemic.

In addition to the gowns, Sellafield Limited and it's supply chain have donated: 1,562 disposable suits, 187 disposable gown/lab coats, 4,850 disposable FFP3 masks. As well as 102 reusable masks, 3,500 pairs of gloves, 164 pairs of safety glasses and 10 full face visors.

Martin Chown, Sellafield Limited chief executive said: "Like everyone, we’re in awe of the courage, compassion, and commitment of our frontline NHS staff.

"We all know how vital it is to ensure healthcare workers have access to the right protective equipment to safeguard themselves, their patients, and their families.

"Gowns were identified as being in particular short supply. Our knowledge of the PPE supply chain meant we could quickly establish a reliable route for high quality items via a national manufacturer and a local distributor.