Cleveland Fire chiefs have welcomed a £165,000 boost in funding from the government to help tackle pressures stemming from the coronavirus outbreak.

Last week the Government announced £1.6billion of additional funding for all local government sectors to help them respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver.

As well as local councils, this meant money would be made available for fire and rescue services across the country.

Allocations have now been published, with Cleveland Fire Brigade receiving £164,936.

Compared with other fire and rescue services in the North-East, Tyne and Wear Fire received £273,779 and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service received £125,448.

Cleveland Fire chiefs welcomed the funding and said it will be used to help operational response provision remain effective and support other public service responses.

A Cleveland Fire Authority spokesman said: “The Covid-19 pandemic is a global and national crisis that has and will increasingly test the capacity of the fire and rescue service and other public sector service providers to protect the public from the impacts of the pandemic, particularly those groups who are most vulnerable and isolated.

“As the pandemic intensifies, the capability of the fire and rescue service to sustain core services and to provide support to other vital partner agencies at the frontline of the public sector response to the pandemic crisis, will be subject to increasing demand.

“Cleveland Fire Authority welcomes the additional funding from Government to help us to continue to ensure that our operational response provision remains resilient and effective.

“[It will ensure] that we support the broader public sector response to the pandemic, particularly in relation to supporting Local Authorities and NHS and Ambulance Trusts whose services are subject to exceptionally high levels of demand; and we maintain the highest standards possible in regard to the health, safety and welfare of all its staff.

“The funding will undoubtedly enable us to offset some of the additional costs in meeting this unprecedented challenge.”

Cleveland Fire Brigade had previously stressed its number-one priority in the face of the outbreak is the safety of communities and is committed to following national guidance to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus.