Coronavirus: 'Huge' issue of social distancing on construction sites

A London construction worker has sent the BBC a video of workers not following the government's social distancing rule to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The worker said there was a "huge issue" on the site in Battersea, which is operated by Mace.

“It is impossible to maintain the 2m rule as most of the walkways are less than 2m wide," the worker, who does not want to be named, said. "This is like being cannon fodder."

In a statement on Tuesday, Mace said it was suspending all of its operations - with the exception of safety-critical work - for at least the next 48 hours.

The government has been clear that "construction sites should be able to continue to operate as long as they can do so safely", the company said in a statement.

"Despite introducing extensive measures to enforce social distancing on sites and provide enhanced cleaning regimes, it has become clear that we are unable to comply with Public Health England recommendations."

Mace said unless it was "certain" that sites can operate safely "we will not reopen them".