A group of campaigners suffering from long Covid in Swindon have put up billboards demanding justice.

They believe they have been abandoned by health professionals.

Not Recovered UK is a campaign group made up of people with chronic illnesses such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and many now suffer from long Covid.

The group has launched a nationwide campaign using huge billboard adverts to highlight what they feel is a lack of effective treatments or help for sufferers of long Covid and ME.

Their fifth billboard, placed on Rodbourne Road in Swindon, is 1.4 miles away from the Medical Research Council based in the UK Research and Innovation building at Polaris House in Swindon.

Campaigners say it will remain up until December 20 and they hope it will cause quite a stir.

"ME patients have been left to suffer for decades without any appropriate treatments and it is very likely that long Covid patients will have a similar fate unless there is an urgent and drastic change in the level of research and funding into chronic illnesses,” said Aaron Campbell, who founded the campaign.

"We believe an online billboard campaign driven by donations ensures that everyone is given an opportunity to be involved - whether that be through their own donations, suggesting locations for the billboards and voting for them on Twitter or even just sharing the GoFundMe to others."

Long Covid is an illness that isn't fully understood, as there is no internationally-agreed definition and symptoms can vary.

Guidance for UK health professionals refers to symptoms that continue for more than 12 weeks and cannot be explained by another cause.

According to the NHS, these symptoms can include extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, problems with memory and concentration, joint pain and changes to taste and smell.

However, patient surveys suggest a range of other symptoms may also affect sufferers, including gut problems, insomnia and vision changes.

Not Recovered UK say that they hope by putting up prominent adverts such as the one which has recently appeared in Swindon, the campaign will start breaking down the stigma that surrounds chronic illness.

"Aside from raising awareness and calling for appropriate research and treatments, the billboards and their messaging are a push back on the minimising and harmful narratives surrounding them that these patients will be cured by exercise, diet or mindfulness techniques,” Mr Campbell believes.

"It is time that attitudes towards 'invisible illnesses' are changed.”