Dairy product producer Arla Foods has confirmed nine cases of coronavirus at its site in Settle, Yorkshire.

The site remains open but Arla says it is taking precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

The company is working with Public Health England to test members of staff and contractors, with the results of the testing expected later this week.

“With the UK lockdown further easing it is expected that confirmed cases will arise but taking early precautionary steps will help us in our efforts to contain this.”

A spokesperson for Arla Foods said: “With the UK lockdown further easing it is expected that confirmed cases will arise but taking early precautionary steps will help us in our efforts to contain this. Settle has remained in production throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This site has reported nine confirmed cases from employees and contractors in the last week, and whilst this is relatively low, given the close-knit community at Settle, the contractors that have been visiting the site for essential work and the short timeframe in which the cases have been confirmed, we have decided to implement full site testing for our colleagues and all contractors. This decision has been made with the support of the local authority and Public Health England.”