Coronavirus: Ex-Sheffield United owner Kevin McCabe giving NHS face masks

Sheffield United have been unable to play football after the Premier League was suspended due to the coronavirus crisis

The former owner of Premier League side Sheffield United has arranged for 30,000 face masks to be flown from China for use at hospitals in England.

Kevin McCabe said he was "frustrated" after hearing some NHS workers were struggling to get the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need.

Mr McCabe said he used his business links to source the masks, which will be delivered from Hong Kong.

The masks are expected to be used at hospitals in Yorkshire and Manchester.

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Mr McCabe said: "This is an unprecedented time for us all and it needs those of us who've got the reach to help everybody."

The Yorkshire businessman said he used his "people on the ground" in Hong Kong and nearby Shenzhen to get the masks.

He said the masks will be distributed in areas where he has personal and professional links including Sheffield, Leeds, York, Scarborough, Malton and Manchester.

"We're going to look after our own," Mr McCabe said. "It's where we live and work and enjoy so that's where we're going to try and help."

Mr McCabe said the first face masks should arrive "in few days" and "if there's cause to help more then we'll certainly do so".

The government says it is working "around the clock" to provide PPE, but NHS workers are concerned about supplies, and have been asked to consider reusing some equipment.

Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah worked together for six years but fell out in 2017

Last year, Mr McCabe was told he must sell his share of The Blades to Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud following a two-year legal battle over the ownership of the club.

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