WILTSHIRE Council is closing all its libraries and leisure centres until further notice.

The decision comes following government advice and to help stop the transmission of COVID-19.

Cllr Philip Whitehead, the leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “All Wiltshire Council leisure centres and libraries are closed indefinitely to protect the health of the public and our staff during this time. This includes the leisure centres managed on behalf of the council by Places Leisure.

“We know how important these services are to the people of Wiltshire, and we apologise to all service users, but these are clearly exceptional circumstances.

“Customers who have a leisure membership with either Wiltshire Council or Places Leisure will have their membership frozen, so they do not need to contact us.

“Where possible, Wiltshire Council staff affected by these closures will be redeployed to help protect our essential services to support the most vulnerable in our communities.

“As soon as we’re able to re-open these facilities we will do so.”

Wiltshire Council says people who have any borrowed items from its libraries that they will be renewed automatically throughout the closed period and it will not be issuing or enforcing any fines or charges.

People can also still borrow eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines from wiltshire.gov.uk/libraries-ebooks

The mobile library service will also be suspended during this time.