All play parks in Babergh have been put out of bounds as the council looks to protect staff and members of the public, and help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

Parish councils in the district, including Brantham, Chelmondiston and Shotley, have put notices up telling residents not use the play equipment.

Customer access points in Sudbury and Hadleigh have closed, and the planned monthly pop up in Shotley on the first Monday in April, will not going ahead.

Residents with council enquiries are now asked to go online wherever possible at www.babergh.gov.uk.

The customer services team are also available on 0300 123 4000, however, this should only be used by those who do not have access to the internet, as high volumes of calls may mean it takes us longer to respond to individual queries over the phone.

Customers are encouraged to make payments online only, as Babergh is currently unable to process post/scanning.

Repairs to our council housing stock are now absolutely essential items only until further notice.

Garden waste collections have now been suspended. This is to allow the council to prioritise essential collections.

The council will not be invoicing for garden waste, or trade waste during this period.

There is further limited access to the headquarters at Endeavour House, with staff, where possible and if not already, working from home.

Babergh will continue to review the delivery of priority services and the redeployment of staff to directly support the most vulnerable; who are of course now on greater lockdown, at risk of isolation and not being able to access their vital medication and food.

This is in addition to the measures already introduced by the council over the last few days.

The councils will continue to regularly communicate about individual issues and changes to services, as required, over the coming days.