Royal Mail workers at the Basingstoke delivery office have raised concerns after a colleague tested positive for Covid-19.

Multiple staff members of the Priestley Road site contacted the Gazette to say that management had informed them that a deep clean had been carried out this week.

The staff members also said that they were told they were not allowed to speak to the press.

"Yesterday a postman who was still at work tested positive for coronavirus," one worker said.

"The senior management have said that a deep clean took place but it was done in four hours. Worse still, all the letters and packets for entire deliveries which have been left behind for 2-3 days are still in the depot."

A spokesman for Royal Mail confirmed that a deep clean had taken place and that staff are working as normal.

"Throughout this crisis, every decision we make puts the health of our people and our customers first," the spokesman said.

"In assessing the risks to our people and making the necessary operational changes to protect them, we take professional medical and health and safety advice on a daily basis."

But these safety concerns by staff aren't just isolated to a single incident.

Another member of staff said Royal Mail was "putting profit ahead of safety."

He said: "There seems to be a complete disregard for the health and wellbeing of all the postal workers.

"People cannot adhere to the social distance rules due to the working environment.

"No real protection provided and today they have been told not to speak to press if approached. What are they trying to cover up?"

Addressing these concerns, the Royal Mail spokesman added that they have introduced new social distancing measures in the hope of protecting staff and customers, but did not go into specifics.

"From March 24 we introduced a range of new social distancing measures aimed at offering further protection for our colleagues," the spokesman said.

"Social distancing is in place in all Royal Mail workplaces. We have optimised spaces in the workplace to allow social distancing to occur.

"Standard ways of working have been revised to ensure that, wherever possible, colleagues stay two metres apart.

"We have implemented a new rule that means there will only be one person in a Royal Mail delivery vehicle at any one time. Processes have been further reviewed to minimise the passing of work between colleagues."