Coronavirus: Ipswich council closes all public buildings

Christchurch Mansion, currently hosting an Ed Sheeran exhibition, is one of the buildings to shut

A council has closed all public buildings, including theatres and swimming pools, and an Ed Sheeran exhibition, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ipswich Borough Council made the decision after the government issued advice on avoiding social venues.

Car parks, crematoria and cemeteries will remain open and core services such as refuse collection will continue.

The council said it would review the decision later this week.

Ed Sheeran's Shape Of You was the UK's biggest single of the 2010s

The council said it would review the decision later this week.

Council-run venues affected by the immediate closure include the 1,550-seat Regent Theatre, the Town Hall and Corn Exchange, Crown Pools, Fore Street Pool, sports centres, the Tourist Information Centre, the visitor centres in Christchurch and Holywells parks and the museum and art gallery at Christchurch Mansion.

Christchurch Mansion is currently home to the Ed Sheeran: Made in Suffolk exhibition, featuring portraits and photographs of the singer-songwriter as well as many personal items belonging to the star.

• LATEST: Follow live updates

• EASY STEPS: How to keep safe

• A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms?

• TRAVEL PLANS: What are your rights?

• IN-DEPTH: Coronavirus pandemic

The council said it intended to arrange for people to be refunded if they had already bought tickets to events at any of the closed venues.

Labour council leader David Ellesmere said: "The advice from the government was strong - it is for public health reasons - so we took that decision as soon as we heard what we were advised to do."

He said the council had "not had to do anything like this before".

He added: "We don't have any choice; we have to do this for the safety of the public."

He said all staff affected by the closures would continue to be paid and some may be deployed to other areas.

Bin collections and the council's Home Emergency Alarm Response Service (Hears) would not be affected, the council said.

Its headquarters at Grafton House on Russell Road remain open, but members of the public are asked not to go there and instead direct any queries to its customer services team via the website or by telephone.

Other venues to announce closures include independent live music venue The Smokehouse in South Street in Ipswich, and Snape Maltings, which has cancelled all its music events and activities "until at least the end of April".

However, the site remains open for walkers, shopping and visitors, a statement on its website said.