SWINDON’S coronavirus cases rose sharply over the weekend following an outbreak at XPO Logistics.

The rate of infection in Swindon passed 400 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people as a combined 45 people were newly-diagnosed with the virus on Saturday and Sunday.

The borough’s infection rate is now around 417.1 per 100,000 people, still significantly lower than the England average of 469.4 cases per 100,000 people, and only seven new cases were confirmed yesterday.

Union representative John McGookin has claimed that half of the workforce at the XPO depot are absent.

The Iceland distribution centre denied these claims and is currently at the centre of a small-scale Covid-19 outbreak. As of Friday, 64 people have tested positive for the virus.

Adver readers voiced their views on the mini-outbreak.

IGGY DIAS: “It’s silly how the company is still operating. It should have shut, conducted tests on every colleague and done a deep clean to the entire depot and start bringing in the staff who have a negative result.”

HANNAH COLE: “And it’s madness like this that has put us in the top 10 worst places in the UK for the virus.”

GINA HANCOCK: “They should be forced to close for deep clean and for everyone to get tested. This is why Swindon cases have risen.”

SIMON BATCHELOR: “I think everyone has been tested. Surely they should be self-isolating for the same reasons that people coming back off holiday have to. It can take a while to show.”

“I guess the specialist units sent there are the experts though.”

BARRY COOK: “Over 200,000 people in the town, 125 have died in the GWH that tested positive for Covid-19 this year.

“Cause of actual death not necessarily Covid-19, but they are classed as dying from Covid-19, so how will we ever know real figures?

“I’m guessing we never will.”

CHRISTINE FLYNN: “Swindon is riddled.”

BERNADETTE HALLAWAYS: “The company needs to be shut, deep cleaned and all staff sent home. Crazy. Nike had one case in March and straight away shut the store, sent all the staff home.”

TIM MOTTRAM: “The council needs to be doing inspections on all businesses and if they fail to follow simple safety guidelines, then they should be shut until they put proper procedures in place. It’s that simple.”

MIKE LANGFORD: “Everyone blaming Iceland but it was the workers who brought it in. Should they be sacked if they find out who did?”

TERRY SARGENT: “It’s a very unfortunate situation at the Iceland depot right now. I feel for those affected, and for those who fear infection.

"Keeping fingers crossed that a lid can be kept on the rate of infection and that spread is kept to a minimum.”

MANDY ARCHER: “Would help if everyone played by the same rules and it would go faster. Seems some think it doesn’t apply to them.”

DAVID CHARTER: “The week ahead will be key. I suspect by the weekend we will be getting in excess of 100 plus cases a day in Swindon due to the Iceland workers having contaminated others.”

MELISSA BEAUMONT: “Well good news that the cases are dropping, let’s hope it stays this way.”

JON WEEDEN: “Hopefully no local lockdown.”

LESLEY LILLEY: “There a lot of people out there who don’t care.

"My husband has stopped going to Tesco as large family groups are not wearing masks.”

MIKAELA JOHNSON: “If you don’t want us to go back into lockdown guys, wear your mask. Simple.”