Truck stop ready to help drivers self-isolate in Wiltshire

At Chippenham Pit Stop, just off Junction 17 of the M4, staff are prepared for drivers who might be suffering from the coronavirus.

A notice on the door advises them to return to their cabs and call for staff assistance, giving a description of their vehicle and registration number.

Pit Stop Managing Director David Hatherell said his team would then swing into action by asking if there was anything they could do to help besides bringing out a hot meal, if required, plus water and any other supplies they might need from their store.

As a practical measure, spray disinfectant would also be left outside their vehicles for cleaning the pit stop’s twenty-four-hour toilet facilities after use.

He said: “The country is almost completely dependent on its ageing 50,000 strong army of truckers, who move around ninety per cent of all our goods and vital supplies, so we must do all that we can to support them.

“We are also here to offer support to our growing number of customers from surrounding villages and will be happy to play our part in any community led initiatives."

The Pit Stop recently won praise from the Road Haulage Association for setting the industry bench mark when it came to caring for its customers by offering lower calorie meals and free blood pressure and carbon monoxide tests in association with Wiltshire Health Trainers.

The Pit Stop also runs monthly awareness campaigns drawing attention to illnesses most likely to effect those spending long hours behind the wheel and how best to counter them.

Among the latest places in Wiltshire to be affected by the virus is Wilton Windmill near Marlborough. A spokesman said: "We are following Government advice with regards to the coronavirus and regrettably we must delay the opening of the windmill to the public.

"The eventual opening date will be determined by Government future advice and so, necessarily, our closure is open ended at the moment."